More than a Genius
by Ryals-Shoal
Summary: COMPLETE Shikamaru and Neji are captured by the Rain during a surveillance mission to be put under interrogation. Without the ability to use jutsus will the two geniuses be able to rely on each other for survival? [Eventual NejiShika]
1. The Mission

Summery: Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Under interrogation and torture, without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival?

Ratings will go up by the next chapter for violence and implications of rape. **Links to story art will be posted in the next chapter.** Shonen-ai ahead, you have been warned! I hold no claim to the Naruto fandom!

Be warned! This is my first Naruto fic in its pure unbeta'ed form. The characters of Neji and Shikamaru have always intrigued me. They're both considered geniuses, but of a different sort from each other.

Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji'scharacters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmellows of happiness!

* * *

Ch. 1 The Mission 

Nara Shikamaru yawned lazily when a single drop of rain grazed his cheek, waking him from his morning nap. The once white fluffy clouds had into turned a nasty shade of grey that promised rain. It was to be expected during the rainy season. Pleasant days are far and few, especially when the notoriously lazy shinobi opted to nap on his porch.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru sighed; he would have to move to avoid getting wet. He flirted with the idea of remaining where he was, then a few fat drops on his face convinced him otherwise. With a grumble, the spiky haired shinobi rolled to his feet and trudged into his studio apartment. He had not expected the weather to remain fair anyways.

It had been five years since the Third Hokage died, and three years since the Fifth Hokage Tsunade led Konoha through a triumphant battle against Orochimaru and the village of Sound. Konoha had suffered heavy casualties in the elite shinobi ranks, and now two years later both the Jounin and Anbu ranks were still lacking in members. The battle between the Sound and Leaf did expose the potential of new elite shinobi. Shikamaru himself had been promoted into the jounin status shortly after the war, then into Anbu a year and a half later. His position on the Anbu team consisted of being the strategist, and rarely involved his physical appearance. As a young jounin of seventeen recently admitted into the ranks of Anbu, he was considered a little 'green' by his more experienced peers. Shikamaru could care less what his comrades thought of him.

He had grown taller, and his body was lean though a bit more muscular then it had been a few years ago. Shikamaru knew that he could never be as huge as Asuma-sensei, though for some reason that thought relieved him. _I can never stand his smoking anyways._

At the thought of his old teacher, Shikamaru's mind drifted to his former teammates. In the five years past, Shikamaru had been assigned numerous missions in which he had led various teams. As a result, contact with his first team had drifted apart. He still spends time with Chouji at the Barbeque Shop every now and then, or with that ever annoying Ino. Despite his father's reassurance, Shikamaru has yet to understand the appeal of women. They were troublesome, emotional and all around scary individuals.

The phone rang. Shikamaru's hand twitched in hesitation in mid-reach. The young Anbu's mind ticked the probability of the caller's intent: 95 probability work related, 5 chance that it was not.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath and decided to pick up the phone. Avoiding a direct call to duty would result in troublesome consequences in the end. "Yeah?"

"Nara Shikamaru," an overly polite male voice replied briskly. "The Fifth wishes a meeting in light of a surveillance mission."

_How troublesome._ Shikamaru thought. "I'll be there."

* * *

Hyuuga Neji waited patiently outside for the Hokage to finish her meeting with a group of Anbu members. He prided himself of being a patient sort, but in light of the ongoing Anbu meeting discussing his eligibility to become a member, Neji was finding it hard to suppress the urge to fidget. 

The young Hyuuga sighed, and closed his pale eyes as he leaned against the wall facing the Hokage's office door in an attempt to relax. At eighteen years, he was nearly as tall as his uncle Hizame-san, though he still retained the lean figure of a youth. Neji was the most powerful member of the Hyuuga family, though his younger cousin Hinata remained in her position as future head. This no longer bothered Neji, for Hinata had proved her mettle during the war in both body and spirit. He was content with his branch family position, as long as he could serve Konoha on his own terms.

And served he did. Neji had been initiated into a Jounin three years ago for his services following the war between the Leaf and the Sound. Many lives were lost during that battle, including that of his teammate Tenten.

Neji's eyes blinked in memory as he recalled Tenten's determined face moments before she was cut down by a Sound shinobi. Neji was severely wounded at the time and could do little else but watch Tenten defending him to the death. The young Hyuuga could remember little else after witnessing Tenten receiving the final blow, but from what was left of the area he must have gone berserk. Tenten died saving Neji's life, he had failed her as a comrade. It was a failure Neji vowed to never repeat.

Neji's mind clicked back to reality as the Hokage's doors opened, signaling the end of the Anbu meeting. Neji stood to attention as several Anbu members filed out. Tsunade remained at her desk and waved him in.

"Hokage-sama." Neji bowed his head.

Tsunade rifled through a few loose papers before addressing the young jounin. "Hyuuga Neji, we have finished discussing your eligibility to join the ranks of Anbu." Tsunade paused, looking over the jounin.

Neji stiffened as he waited for an answer.

"Denied. I'm sorry."

"What?" Neji blinked, unsure that he heard right.

Tsunade folded her hands as she studied the young Hyuuga. "You possess all the qualities and more that are required for the rank of jounin, but for high stake missions you need more field experience."

"But-" Neji gritted his teeth before continuing. "Why don't I qualify? There is hardly a mission that I did not complete!"

The Fifth Hokage sighed. "The Anbu council has noted your excellent record and high mission success rate. However, we have decided that you need more experience before you qualify to join the Anbu ranks."

Neji scowled at the Hokage. "There are others who have less field experience than I that have been initiated into Anbu."

Tsunade tapped her finger in impatience, she knew who Neji was referring to. "It was not mere field experience which qualified Nara Shikamaru; His skills as a strategist are valuable in high priority missions; though his lack of experience holds him back from some."

The young Hyuuga's eyes flashed in defiance. "He has less experience than me, though he's in the Anbu ranks?"

Tsunade had heard enough. She fixed Neji a hard stare to silence him from further comments. "Your interest in Anbu has been noted however, and you will be accompanying an Anbu member on a surveillance mission on the borders of the Rain country. Consider it as the first of a series of Anbu tests." Tsunade glanced at the door, sensing a person behind it. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal a sleepy looking Shikamaru who sauntered in wearing his grey and black Anbu garb.

"Yo Neji." He nodded towards the Hyuuga.

"Nara." Neji replied.

"Ah yes Shikamaru." Tsunade smiled. "Hyuuga Neji will join you in your surveillance mission of the Rain border." Tsunade smiled sweetly, causing Neji's left eye to twitch, he was beginning to see the irony in the situation. She continued. "Even though we are currently at peace with the Rain country, be on your guard. Travel light, use the underground bases for supplies. You know where they are Shikamaru."

The said ANBU nodded and yawned. Neji watched him with a scowl.

"I will expect your return in two weeks." Tsunade finished. "And a full report. Dismissed!"

The two Leaf shinobi left later that afternoon. The rain that had woken Shikamaru earlier that morning continued its onslaught of pouring on Konoha. Neither shinobi saw the need for idle conversation, so they instead concentrated on traveling the slippery branches of the trees, all the while keeping an eye out for any unusual activity. They would stop every so often to study broken branches or scuffed tracks. Traveling in the rain was cold, tiresome and tedious work. It was enough to make anyone irritable after a few hours.

Shikamaru pulled at a loose twig stuck in his hair and tossed it over the branch he perched upon. He decided against bringing his Anbu deer mask, for it was too much of a bother to wear. The spiky haired Anbu bent over to scowl at a set of footprints barely visible through thick moss. "This is over a day old. I'm surprised its still here with all this rain."

Neji leaned against a tree and watched his breath evaporate into the cold air. "Any chance that it belongs to our village?"

Shikamaru shook his head, still studying the tracks. "We would have been informed of any missions that were sent out in this area. There's a high chance that it belongs to a foreign shinobi."

"Then we'll track him." Neji poised to leave.

"Neji." Shikamaru stood up from the tracks to fix the older boy a hard look. "From now on I want you to inform me of _everything _unusual. I've noticed that you have been neglecting to inform me of minor details that you should be able to see with your Byakugan, am I right?"

Neji was slightly unnerved. It was true that he had neglected reporting some scuffles that were obviously animal tracks or damage from the rain, he had not expected Shikamaru to be so thorough. "Yes" he frowned.

The young Nara sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose as if he were addressing a young genin. "In an Anbu surveillance mission, all details are to be reported to the leading rank. It is necessary to inform me of any and all details. I thought you were aware of that."

Neji's scowl deepened, he did not like tone Shikamaru was using. He glared at the back of the young Anbu's head before continuing to follow.

* * *

Evening had descended by the time they reached the border of their destination. The fall of the rain had increased from a steady drizzle to a downpour. It took Shikamaru a few minutes to locate the secret tunnel that lead to the underground base beneath an old growth tree. Once the base was discovered, the young Anbu member leapt to the trees to set alarm traps on the outskirts of the clearing, leaving Neji to secure the hidden base. 

Shikamaru busied himself setting the traps and alarms. Neji's cold attitude had not gone unnoticed, and it was wearing on his nerves. _What a troublesome guy. _The young Anbu grumbled inwardly to himself. _For someone so intent on joining the Anbu ranks, he neglects the basic guidelines to report all that he sees_. _Hmph, that guys is so full of himself._ He scowled at a small falcon perched above his head taking shelter from the pounding rain. It noticed Shikamaru and cocked its head at him as if in question. Shikamaru groaned. _Anbu missions are so troublesome._

Once the traps were set, Shikamaru made his way back to base. The falcon waited a few heartbeats before taking flight to follow the young shinobi.

The falcon's yellow eyes blinked at all the seals and trip wires that littered the area surrounding the underground base. A second pair of yellow eyes blinked behind the falcon's. Only two leaf shinobi, one an Anbu. Both young and with significant chakra. This will be interesting.

* * *

The base itself was sparse except for the essentials needed for traveling shinobi: preserved rations, medical supplies and basic weapons. A web of wires strung with tiny bells hung overhead, which served as the alarm system if intruders wandered too close. Excessive use of electrical energy is subject to become a beacon to unfriendly intruders, and so was not provided. Candles were the main source of light, but only one was needed in the space that provided enough room to hold four full grown people. 

Neji watched the small candle, which reflected its flame in his pale eyes. He sniffed the wet moisture in the air, disliking the early autumn weather that penetrated the into his clothes to give him goose bumps, but not enough to make him shiver.

Neji scowled at the room around him. It was not in his nature to feel disdain for his current position, but he did. He had dedicated the last two years of his life to obtain the position of Anbu; Neji had exerted himself to the limit and struggled beyond, knowing that his bloodline abilities now far surpassed Hizame-san's. In the end, he was rejected on the basis for lack of field experience. Neji's fists clenched in frustration. No matter what Tsunade or the Anbu think, he will prove that he is qualified to join the ranks of Anbu. Nothing can be achieved without the determination to succeed. Dedication. Motivation; Those were concepts that he had learned to grasp from his strange former Gai-sensei and the equally optimistic Rock Lee.

Lee.

He had taken Tenten's death very hard. Lee did not openly express his emotions like he normally did, and instead remained silent upon discovering Neji and her body, and during the Konoha funerals. Neji had never seen him so stoic_. I let both him and Tenten down. Hmph, I'm no genius. That's all the Anbu seem to want. _Tsunade's words came back to haunt him. _"His skills as a strategist are valuable in high priority missions."_ It was Shikamaru's intellect that bought him into the Anbu ranks; Without it, he never would have become an Anbu, or a successful shinobi for that matter.

Anger filled the young Hyuuga as he thought of Shikamaru: A shinobi that barely lifted a finger to better himself and lacking in self discipline wormed his way into the elite shinobi ranks, all due to his skills at strategy. He has no motivation, no drive to fully dedicate himself. Its all just a game of strategy to him.

The said spiky haired shinobi made his silent entrance into the base. Neji composed himself as Shikamaru walked into the dim firelight, bending over the small flame in an attempt to warm his hands. "The traps are set."

"Hm." Neji nodded in reply.

The young Nara clicked his tongue in thought. "We'll set out before dawn breaks. You wanna take first watch?"

Neji scowled. "Why? Are you so eager for your precious sleep?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "If you put it that way, I am."

"Hmph. It's a wonder why the council initiated you into Anbu."

Shikamaru slowly stood up to fix his companion with a glare. "What you are you trying to imply, Hyuuga?"

Neji could see Shikamaru's left eye twitch slightly in the firelight, he had seemed to hit a nerve. During the five years since Neji last worked with him, the lazy shinobi's temper had apparently been shortened by a few hairs.

"I don't need you to tell me how to be a shinobi." Shikamaru's voice held a note of a growl. "You're too troublesome to work with."

Neji stood up to be at eye level with Shikamaru. His pale eyes reflected the dancing firelight as he stared into Shikamaru's narrowed dark brown eyes.

"I have pride in myself as a shinobi." Detest laced the young Hyuuga's words. "And in the people I vow to protect."

Both stared at each other for a several heartbeats, the tension hung as heavy as the moisture in the air. The single flame flickered in the tiny room as the young shinobi stared at one another in challenge. It was broken by the shrill sound of an alarm bell above their heads.

"W-what?" Neji gaped at the ringing bell, recognizing its tone. "They're close!" Without another word, both Leaf shinobi shot out of the underground base and into the sheltering wet trees above.

"Shit, were all my traps disarmed?" Shikamaru hissed. Neji meanwhile engaged his Byakugan eyesight. The dark forest became illuminated by enhanced vision, his pale eyes quickly located the perpetrators through rain and branches.

"There's two armed shinobi. They're located in the southwestern side of the clearing."

The corner of Shikamaru's mouth twitched. "I've set enough traps to warn us from intruders. If they went through the trouble to disarm them all they must have been planning to ambush us; which means they're serious."

Neji gestured to Shikamaru. "One is moving out to the clearing."

"The other?"

"He's staying put a good 50 meters from his companion."

Shikamaru watched a darkly clad shinobi walk out into the middle of the clearing. He paused then faced the direction where Shikamaru and Neji hid, and seemed to wait for them to make a move.

Shikamaru contemplated the foreign shinobi's actions. "He must be confident to approach us by himself. The other guy must be up to something." He turned to Neji. "Is he performing any seals?"

"No." Neji shook his head.

The young Anbu frowned. "Then its best if we stay together. You cover me with your Byakugan."

Both Shikamaru and Neji leapt down from the tree and cautiously approached the clearing, stopping a fair distance away from the stranger.

Shikamaru eyed the shinobi suspiciously. "What do you want?"

The shinobi chuckled dryly. He had a youthful face with wavy light blue hair framing cheerful bright eyes. Shikamaru could see that his forehead protector revealed him belonging to the Village of Rain.

"We want information concerning Tsunade's Legacy."

Shikamaru had no idea what 'legacy' the Rain shinobi was talking about, but remained neutral in his reply. "Why don't you ask the Hokage yourself?"

The blue haired shinobi's eyes seemed to smile. "Your Hokage would never speak to the likes of us. We know that she is conspiring with the Grass to create a weapon that will destroy one of the Rain's head families. There's no use denying it."

Shikamaru slowly pulled a kunai from his pouch, sensing that Neji was taking an offensive stance; he had a feeling that things were about to get troublesome. "What gave you that idea?"

"Don't play dumb. If you agree to come quietly we will make sure the questioning will go gently for both you and your friend."

That was Neji's cue. Without any hesitation, he sped towards the rain shinobi with his hands splayed out to reach the chakra points. "Juukenhou, Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" Moments before he reached his target, Neji caught a blur of motion in the corner of one eye and then a sudden punch to his gut sent him flying through the air.

_The other Shinobi?_ Shikamaru thought wildly._ How can he move so fa-_ A kunai was pressed against his throat before he could finish the thought. The blue haired shinobi shot three needles into Neji's back before the Hyuuga had a chance to recuperate from the blow. Shikamaru could only watch in horror as Neji's body collapsed into a heap at his attacker's feet.

Yellow eyes peeked from behind Shikamaru's shoulder. "Is this really an Anbu?" the shinobi sneered in a nasal voice.

Shikamaru daren't struggle against the kunai biting into his neck. He groped for any wisps of inspiration that might help him, and found his mind to be a blank slate. _Is this it?_

The yellow eyed shinobi dealt a quick hit to the back of Shikamaru's head, and then the young Anbu fell into darkness.

* * *

Neji's a bit egotistical to what makes a shinobi, eh? 

R/R if you dare! I likes them good.


	2. The Captives

**Summery: **Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival?

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing (smiles in embaressment).

This Naruto fic isin its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

I hold no claim to the Naruto fandom! This Naruto fic isin its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

* * *

Ch. 2 The Captives 

Shikamaru awoke to the worst headache of his life.

The events leading up to his capture came back in a flash. He tried to move and found that his body was sore all over, and bright light penetrated through his closed eyelids to contribute to his already aching head. Shikamaru lifted a hand to his face to shield his eyes. He groaned when his fingers touched tender flesh on his forehead, where a bruise felt to be forming. To add to his list of discomforts, he was cold.

Slowly, the young Anbu opened his eyes then quickly shut them again, wincing as his headache worsened. From what he could tell, he was in a closed room filled with unnatural white light. With eyes still shut, Shikamaru cautiously felt along his body for any damage. He noticed two things: One, he was aching in his chakra force centres, and two, he was not wearing his own clothes.

Cracking an eye open, Shikamaru saw through blurred vision that he was dressed in a plain white shirt and matching loose fitting shorts that were cropped above the knees. _Hospital clothes?_ No wonder he was cold.

Now used to the light, Shikamaru fully opened both eyes and sat up to get his bearings. The first thing he noticed was that he was not alone in the small room. To his left lay an unconscious body similarly dressed as himself.

"Neji!" As fast as his sore body would allow, Shikamaru crawled to the prone figure and gently shook him awake. After a few attempts, the young Hyuuga groaned and covered his sensitive eyes against the light.

"What happened?"

"We've been captured." Shikamaru helped him sit up. "You hurt?"

Neji paused and with eyes tightly shut, felt the six chakra centres up his body. "Yeah, it seems that my centres have been damaged. I cannot muster any chakra."

The young Anbu listed off the six centres starting from his abdomen, noting that a small bruise was forming on those specific areas. "The Root, Navel, Heart, Throat, Brow and Crown. They have all been blocked."

Neji opened his pale eyes and tried to summon the Byakugan, then hissed in pain. "It feels like needles turning inside my body! Only a medical shinobi could block all the centres without fatally wounding us. Why bother keeping us alive?"

"Interrogation." Shikamaru leaned against the wall with arms folded. "That's the only plausible reason that they would let us live."

Neji blinked, remembering the conversation with the Rain shinobi moments before they were captured. "Ah yes, 'Tsunade's Legacy.' They seem to think that it is some sort of weapon against a head family. I've never heard of such a thing."

"Don't count on it." Shikamaru snorted. "I never did either. It seems that the Fifth's reputation as a brilliant medical shinobi precedes her into rumors. How irritating for us."

The young Hyuuga brushed loose strands of long hair from his face. His fingers ghosted over his naked brow where the bird cage seal was now visible. "I wonder what they intend to do with two Leaf nin? Only one of us is needed for interrogating."

"The Rain might be desperate for information." Shikamaru yanked on his hair tie to readjust his mussed ponytail. "The problem is, we don't know anything about this 'legacy.'"

Neji's mouth pulled into a grim line as he looked at the young Nara. "And when they realize that..."

The sentence was left unfinished. It was a well known fact among shinobi that once prisoners have outlived their usefulness, they are permanently silenced to prevent vital information leakage. Since both Shikamaru and Neji were currently trapped in a hidden Rain base, there was little doubt that they will eventually be disposed.

It was something that needed not to be voiced.

* * *

The room that served as the two Leaf shinobi's cell was roughly the size of Shikamaru's small studio apartment. The walls possessed no windows, and were painted a sterile white color. The room was unfurnished; the only beds provided were the smooth wooden floors that offered little traction for bare feet. The only object in the room was a bowl of water, which they drank once it was confirmed that the contents were not drugged. They found no sound recording devices or cameras; the only electrical devices were the florescent lights above their heads, which were built directly into the walls to discourage any attempts of tampering. The lights themselves were constructed to be conservative of power, which meant that the cell was located in a secured base that had some use of electricity. Only one firmly sealed door led the way inside or out of the prison. 

Both Shikamaru and Neji waited silently against the walls bordering that door. By doing so, they were hoping to surprise their captors and overtake them by sheer force. The only conclusions that they could reach for their captors to imprison them together was either confidence in their security or lack of prison space. They hoped that being imprisoned together would work to their advantage.

They only had to wait an hour before they heard the sound of faint footsteps approaching the entrance. Neji and Shikamaru looked at each other and nodded before the door clicked open.

It was the blue haired shinobi. Before he could step into the room, both Leaf nin struck at the man; Neji attacking his torso and Shikamaru striking the legs.

To their dismay, the Rain nin seemed to have anticipated their attacks, and leapt backwards to avoid their hits. His hand flashed, releasing two needles which hit above Neji's right knee and the other in Shikamaru's left shoulder.

"Tsk tsk, such rude behavior from our guests." The Rain shinobi clicked his tongue as he entered the room. "I was hoping that we could be more civilized in our introductions, but I guess not."

Shikamaru collapsed to the floor, clutching where the needle penetrated his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat, and his brow shone with sweat as he glared up at the blue haired shinobi. "Poison?"

"I am Medical Shinobi Hariyo of the Rain." He smiled sweetly at Shikamaru, his pleasant face masking the malice in his voice. "The poison is not lethal, but it stings a bit, no?"

Neji wasted no time for the poison to take effect up his leg. In a flash, he ducked below Hariyo's waist to strike his abdomen.

Neji's sharp eyes caught a blur of dark motion behind Hariyo before it intercepted him. He was knocked to the ground mere hairbreadths away from reaching his target, his body slammed painfully against a wall. Once the spinning world reeled to a halt, Neji's pale eyes met with round yellow eyes glaring down at him belonging to a stooped shinobi with a nose resembling a hawk beak.

"Feh, two men. How boring Hariyo." The shinobi growled in a nasal voice at Shikamaru, who was still struggling with the poison. "I was looking forward to having some fun with them."

"Settle down Kubashi," A solemn faced Rain nin wearing a shaggy fur wrap entered the cell. He was much older and taller than Hariyo or Kubashi, and had a face covered in disfiguring scars. He glanced at Shikamaru on the floor. "I see that they gave you some trouble Hariyo." He rumbled. "Nothing that you can't handle." He then turned his attention to Neji, his gaze lingering as he seemed to take particular interest in the young Hyuuga. "You shouldn't be too disappointed Kubashi, this one has long hair like a woman's, and a face to match."

Neji felt cold fear grip him at what his captor was implying. His leg burned where the poison had infected, rendering it useless. At his current weakened state with neither the use of his leg or jitsu, the young Hyuuga was outnumbered and at a terrible disadvantage. He had no way to defend himself against three armed shinobi.

Kubashi blinked owl like eyes at Neji then scoffed. "I have no interest in men, I'm not like you or Gizan."

Hariyo smiled at his scarred companion, his eyes holding a strange glint. "I should let you know Kuma, that I need this one intact for now. He possesses the Hyuuga bloodline; It's the only reason why I did not kill him."

The fur wrapped shinobi Kuma snorted.

The Medical Rain shinobi sighed in exasperation. "Either way, I want you and Kubashi to report to Soruyo that the interrogations will be delayed for a few hours, since I seemed to have incapacitated our Anbu prisoner for the moment."

Kubashi chuckled as he left the room. "Ku ku ku. incapacitated eh? You are a sick man Hariyo. I hate to be your prisoner during interrogation."

"Aw, how rude Kubashi." Hariyo followed his companion out the door, and was followed by Kuma who turned to stare at Neji one last time before shutting the door.

The door clicked shut.

Once gone, Neji crawled towards Shikamaru, dragging his lame leg behind him in which the poison had now spread up to his thigh. Shikamaru laid curled up on the floor, his ribs rising and lowering in slow deliberate breaths. Neji's leg burned like fire down to the bone, he could only imagine what Shikamaru was going through with the poison so close to his vitals.

Gently, Neji turned Shikamaru over and saw that the young Anbu was shivering.

"Sh-shit!" Shikamaru's teeth chattered. "One minute I'm b-burning and now this! Its like the d-damn flu!"

"Its leaving your system." Neji looked down at his companion, and seeing no alternative, wrapped his arms around Shikamaru, using his own body heat to aid his companion.

"Th-Thanks Neji."

* * *

Hariyo did not return that day. Sometime during the night (or whatNeji assumed to be the night) the lights were shut off, leaving the two prisoners in total darkness. By that time, Shikamaru had fallen asleep in Neji's arms, his body still shivering every now and then from the last traces of poison. 

Neji did not sleep; his mind raced with thoughts of escape. Even in his desperation, he logically knew that any attempts would be futile in their current state. Both he and Shikamaru were without either weapons or jitsus; all they possessed were their cunning and hand to hand combat skills.

The corner of Neji's mouth curled wryly at the irony of a thought: that he, the genius Hyuuga prodigy of the Byakugan Jitsu was now very similar to Rock Lee. His former teammate never was able to master any jitsus, and had to rely on his speed and hand to hand combat techniques. For years Neji had berated Lee on his incompetence; at the time he believed that a shinobi who cannot use jitsus is no shinobi at all. Only now can Neji fully appreciate Lee's abilities; which would now be most helpful in their current situation.

Neji stiffened in realization at his own thoughts. He glanced down in the darkness to where Shikamaru laid his head against the Hyuuga's warm chest. Tsunade's voice came to him: _"It was not mere field experience which qualified Nara Shikamaru; His skills as a strategist are valuable in high priority missions."_

"I see." Neji murmured. _I have been relying on the Byakugan far to much. To be an Anbu is to be prepared for any situation, which I am not. Tsunade wanted me to realize this myself. _

The young Hyuuga sighed, wondering if it would be that last lesson he would ever receive. Even if he had Rock Lee's exceptional martial arts skills, he doubted it would be enough to challenge the Rain Base's security. The Rain nin seemed to be well prepared for any attempts at escape.

Only three Rain shinobi had revealed themselves so far, with two other nin mentioned: a Soruyo and a Gizan. Of the three Rain nin, only two had displayed their abilities: Hariyo, the medical shinobi of poison and blocking chakra centres; and Kubashi who's speed might rival Lee's.

Neji thought back to Kubashi's earlier statement, "_I'm not into men like you or Gizan_." He remembered the hollow eyes of Kuma lingering over his body. Neji shuddered and unconsciously tightened his hold on Shikamaru. The young Anbu let out a small whimper of discomfort when his companion did not ease his hold. Neji complied and relaxed his arms enough for Shikamaru to move a little more freely, in which he nestled himself into the Hyuuga's arms.

And thus they waited for their captors to return the next day.

* * *

Notes: Chakra Centres are points on the body where chakra originates. There are six points starting from below the navel to top of the head: the Root, Navel, Heart, Throat, Brow and Crown chakras.

**If you would like to see character art for the Rain nin, please see the link on my profile page.**

Dun Dun DUN! Review please! They fuel my love of fanficing! I shall update soon...


	3. Interrogations: Part One

**Summery:** Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival?

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing (smiles in embaressment).

This Naruto fic is in its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

On that note,** flames** will be thrown in the fire to toast my marshmallows, then **deleted**. So don't bother.

* * *

Ch. 3 Interrogations: Part One 

Shikamaru was rudely awakened by Neji roughly shaking him. Remembering where he was, the young Anbu became fully awake as if he had been slapped in the face. He jerked upright to face Neji. "How long was I out?"

"Several hours." Neji replied, watching the door. "We have company"

Within moments, the door slid open to reveal the three Rain shinobi from the day before: Kubashi, Kuma and a cheerful Hariyo. The stooped Kubashi scowled nastily and pointed a kunai threateningly at Shikamaru. "Time to go sleepyass!"

"Fine fine." Shikamaru held up his hands and allowed himself to be herded out the door by the hawk nosed shinobi. Shikamaru turned to exchange glances with Neji one last time before they were cut off the closing door. Both wondered if it would be the last time they would see each other alive. Once the door closed behind Shikamaru, Neji suddenly became nervous at being alone in the prison cell with Hariyo and Kuma. Hariyo smiled as he rolled up his sleeves. "Now then, shall we get started?"

Neji's silver eyes darted around the prison cell. Between Hariyo and Kuma, there was little room for him to maneuver around his captors.

"Don't bother." Kuma rumbled, cracking his knuckles. "Or I will break your legs to stop you from running."

At this threat, the young Hyuuga froze. He stood rigid in a defensive stance as he watched Hariyo unroll a long cloth scroll containing dozens of sharp medical instruments. The blue haired shinobi knelt down to select a large spoon knife, and held it up to the light for inspection. "Ah, this will do."

"Do you intend to torture me?" Neji asked wearily, his eyes focused on the curved knife Hariyo held.

"Torture?" Hariyo blinked then gestured at his medical kit. "These, my young patient are surgical tools that I will be using for your biopsy." the Rain nin looked thoughtful. "Though now that you mention it, I suppose I could ask you a few questions while I am extracting my samples."

"My...biopsy?" Neji had a bad feeling on where this was leading.

"Oh yes, it's the reason why I let you live." Hariyo pulled out a syringe and tested the needle's flow. "Its not often that we catch a live Hyuuga." His dark eyes flickered at the birdcage seal on Neji's brow. "With my research I might be able to crack that seal of yours; because of it I had to keep your body and your bloodline alive."

Neji scowled to cover the uneasiness he felt creeping to his face. In this small room without the comfort of his chakra, the young Hyuuga had never felt so trapped in all his life.

Satisfied with his selection, Hariyo rolled up his surgical kit and stood up to face his prisoner. In one hand he grasped the spoon knife, and in the other a plastic bag filled with dozens of empty sample jars. "Get a firm grip on him Kuma." The medical shinobi's voice became stern. "I need to dig down deep to get a thorough tissue sample."

Kuma grunted in reply then took a step towards Neji, who was all but cornered in the cramped cell. The Hyuuga glared at his tormentors and switched to an offensive stance, daring his captors to move closer.

Hariyo rolled his eyes at the prisoner's behavior as he pulled out a few tipped needles from his jacket. "Don't make me use my poison on you again." He paused then turned to his solemn companion. "On second thought, you deal with him Kuma. I don't want my poison contaminating his body."

Kuma nodded and continued his advance towards the prisoner. Neji held his ground as the fur wrapped shinobi closed the small space between them. When Kuma was only an arm's length away, Neji leapt backwards into the wall behind him. With as much strength as his sore leg would allow, Neji vaulted off the wall and flipped upside down on the ceiling above to fly down to attack Kuma's unprotected head.

Neji's sudden attack on Kuma occurred within seconds, though with his tender knee the Hyuuga knew that it was probably enough time for Kuma to anticipate. Sure enough, the Rain nin raised his arm for a counterattack as soon as Neji's feet left the ceiling. With his huge fist, Kuma knocked the prisoner from the air before he had a chance to land a blow. Neji cried out as he crashed painfully into the floor. The Hyuuga did not expect to be hit with such magnitude.

The blow left Neji dazed for a few moments. It was all the time Kuma needed to pin Neji's tense body in a tight hold that offered little chance of escape.

Neji squirmed in Kuma's grip to no avail. He could only curse and glare angrily at Hariyo approaching him with the knife ready.

"I suggest that you keep him still Kuma." The blue haired Rain nin muttered as he prodded the tender flesh under the Hyuuga's right arm. "Its only going to get rougher when I start working on his eyes."

Neji stopped squirming. Cold fear dropped down into the pit of his stomach. "My...eyes?" Neji's voice sounded small to his ears.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Hariyo deftly twirled the spoon knife in his fingers and gave the Hyuuga prisoner a smirk. "I will be cutting out your pretty eyes once I'm done with you."

* * *

(Shudders) I HATE spoon knives! Poor Neji! This chapter was supposed to be one big chappie, but I felt that it could stand on its own. Part two will be immediately posted. 

I'd like to know what you think. Please R/R!


	4. Interrogations: Part Two

**Summery: **Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival? Eventual NejiShika

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing (smiles in embarrassment.)

This Naruto fic is in its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

On that note, **flames** will be thrown in the fire to toast my marshmallows, then **deleted.** So don't bother.

* * *

Ch. 4 Interrogations: Part Two 

Once the door closed behind Shikamaru, his senses were plunged into total darkness. He had little time to adjust his eyes when Kubashi roughly shoved him forward. Shikamaru staggered and stubbed his toe against a stone step. His eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, he looked up to see that he was at the bottom of a long flight of stone stairs. Near the top of the stairs where it was lighter, Shikamaru could make out the silhouette of another Rain nin.

"Ah, Gizan-san." Kubashi poked his captive in the back with the kunai to encourage him up the steps. "Are you so eager to begin work?"

The dark shinobi snickered a long dry laugh which made Shikamaru's skin crawl. "There has been no war for such a long time Kubashi. It is not often that I am given an opportunity to use the full potential of my abilities."

Once Shikamaru reached the top of the stairs, he gulped nervously when he saw the face belonging to the voice. The Rain nin Gizan was, like Kuma and Kubashi, obviously a veteran of many battles. Thin scars covered a broad face which harbored a single left eye that seemed to pierce through anything it sees. The right eye was sunken and covered in smooth skin without the slit of an eyelid, showing that Gizan had never been born with two eyes. Gizan regarded Shikamaru with his one eye, then motioned with a quick jerk of his head for them to follow.

Flanked by two fully armed shinobi, Shikamaru did not even bother to entertain the thought of overpowering them. They moved onwards through a short hallway that provided neither lights or windows to see by, though from somewhere Shikamaru caught a whiff of fresh air. _Its tinged with moisture._ he thought. _This base must be small if I can smell the rain from here. _The hallway quickly ended at a heavy looking door. Gizan paused in front of the door, then entered after a muffled voice uttered permission. He entered and closed the door behind him, leaving his companion and the prisoner behind.

Alone with Kubashi, Shukamaru was left in an uncomfortable silence. The hairs on the back of the Anbu's neck suddenly stood up as he felt eyes upon him. Looking up, he saw several yellow eyes staring down from darkness within the supporting beams.

Kubashi noticed Shikamaru's discomfort and chuckled in his strange way. "Ku ku ku. You like my pets?" One fluttered down to perch on the Rain shinobi's shoulder, revealing itself to be a falcon. The hawk nosed shinobi stroked its' feathers lovingly. "They are most useful in scouting dangerous terrains."

Shikamaru groaned inwardly, remembering the falcon he saw before his capture. _Damn! I should have taken familiars into account. Some Anbu I am!_

Satisfied with the attention it received, the falcon fluttered back up to the beams. Shikamaru watched it leave through a small opening in the ceiling that he had not noticed before, despite the faint rays of sunlight that trickled through.

With nothing else to do, Kubashi prodded his prisoner painfully in the back with the tip of the kunai, and was rewarded when Shikamaru jumped at the unexpected action. "Nervous? Ku ku ku, you should be. Gizan-san likes to play with new toys. Ku ku ku."

Shikamaru ignored the stooped shinobi and tried to focus on his surroundings. There was only one door leading out of the corridor, which meant that it was likely the only intended exit. The small opening in the roof above his head might be an alternative; From what Shikamaru could see through the darkness, the opening seemed to be hastily built to accommodate Kubashi's falcons. Strands of bare roots hung over the opening, leading the Anbu to assume that the Rain Base was located underground. The boards holding the roost open did not seem very sturdy, with some work the opening might be large enough for himself and Neji to squeeze through...

Shikamaru's mind was interrupted by Gizan suddenly pushing the door open. The one eyed shinobi motioned Kubashi to escort Shikamaru in, which he did with a few quick prods with his weapon. Shikamaru hissed when he felt the cuts trickle blood down the small of his back, no doubt seeping through the white clothes he was wearing.

Inside, he found the room to be dimly lit with low powered electrical lights. There was enough light to see that the room was roughly twice the size of the prison cell. It contained a single chair in which the fifth Rain nin occupied. Behind him was another door which had to be the exit.

Shikamaru was led to stand before The fifth Rain nin, who greeted the prisoner with silence. He seemed a little older than Hariyo, and defiantly younger than the other three Shinobi. A brown cap adorned his head in which strands of thick auburn hair stuck out in unruly strands, a small goatee of a similar color framed the chin of his narrow face. His dark eyes peered with scrutiny at the Anbu captive. Shikamaru noted that even in a sitting position, the Rain nin held the commanding presence of a leader.

"Name." The goateed shinobi inquired with arms crossed.

Shikamaru used his alias. "Yamada Toshi"

To his right, Shikamaru saw Gizan's single eye blink slowly at him. "If you don't answer Soruyo-san right, I will break your ribs one by one."

Shikamaru stiffened. He had been seen through, this was going to be tough. "Nara Shikamaru."

"Nara clan eh?" The goateed shinobi Soruyo looked thoughtful, as if trying to remember something. "Was it one of the Nara clan that killed your brother Gizan? I don't suppose it might be this little Anbu."

Shikamaru remained silent. The only sound that filled the room was the soft electrical hum of the lights, which barely reflected the beads of sweat forming on the young Anbu face. He was treading dangerous grounds.

The cycloptic shinobi Gizan chuckled dryly, breaking the silence. "If it was this Nara, I should thank him. My brother was a troublesome sort."

Soruyo ignored Gizan and instead focused his attention on the captive. In one fluid motion, he stood up and walked to the young Anbu, stopping a to look down at him. "Tell me," his tenor voice had gone cold. "What do you know of 'Tsunade's Legacy?'"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Not much."

A blow from Gizan to his side made Shikamaru stagger for balance. The punch was painful, but did not break any bones.

"Next time I _will _break something." Gizan growled.

Shikamaru knew the questioning of Tsunade Legacy was the only reason he was left alive; For that he intended to buy as much time as he could for himself and Neji. A few broken bones was to be expected for avoiding a question.

"What do you know?" Gizan stuck his single eye close to the prisoner's face.

Shikamaru clutched his sore side. "Don't remember." He closed his eyes and braced himself for another blow to descend.

"That's enough Gizan." Soruyo held up a hand to stop the one eyed shinobi. The Rain leader smirked at his companion. " I just remembered, the Oiwa family has a warrant for members of the Nara clan. They will pay handsomely for an intact Nara clansman."

"Ku ku ku. The Owia Family never could forget a grudge." Kabushi chuckled from behind Shikamaru. The Anbu had forgotten about him.

"Intact, eh?" Gizan looked thoughtful and lowered his fist, a strange gleam entered his only eye as he smiled slyly. "Then I shall use my jitsu to punish him."

"Do so." Soruyo nodded. "But keep in mind that he still needs to be questioned."

Gizan stepped away to circle around his captive. The Rain nin's one eye rolled around its socket to roam over the young Anbu's body, and was grinning gleefully as he did so. Shikamaru was reminded of a predator examining its cornered prey before the kill. He suddenly felt very naked before Gizan; Without his weapons or chakra he felt completely vulnerable.

Gizan stopped before his captive, his one eye had opened wide enough to show all the whites surrounding the small black pupil centered in the middle. The pupil caught hold of Shikamaru, it seemed to engulf the Anbu's entire mind, seducing him into a partial trance. Shikamaru felt his body stiffen to the spot.

_Wh-What? Is this a shadow technique?_ His sluggish mind thought frantically.

"My Evil Eye has hypnotic powers." Gizan chuckled. "You might say that it is similar to a point with the legendary Shiringan of your village."

Shikamaru's body trembled as he fought against the effects of the Evil Eye. He wanted to recoil as a hand extended out to touch his face. Gizan held his captive's face steady as he examined the eyes of his prisoner with a smirk.

"A leader must assume responsibility for his subordinates. No matter what happens, you alone are responsible for their safety." The smirk on Gizan's face broadened. "Do you want to see the fate you have brought upon your comrade?"

Cupping Shikamaru's chin in one hand, Gizan closed his Evil Eye and made some symbols with his free hand. "Akumu no jitsu!" His eye opened, the pupil had fully extended to turn his eye entirely black.

Shikamaru felt himself falling into Gizan's eye. The young Anbu's mind was opened to the room which served as his prison cell. In a corner of the room, Neji laid convulsing in a pool of his own blood, his white clothes torn and reddened where skin had been flayed down to the naked bone. Kuma and Hariyo stood over him, the medical shinobi held twin globes dripping with blood that were unmistakably Hyuuga eyes.

Hariyo held up his needle thin dagger to his victim, smiling as he reached down to work again. Neji's body twisted horribly against his tormentors, his back arching to scream as his hollow eyes stared into nothingness.

Shikamaru's knees gave way and he fell to all fours, gasping for breath. _Neji!_ He tried to shut his mind from those gaping eyes staring emptily up at him. His hands gripped the grain of the floor as he vainly tried to hold himself back from an onslaught of terrible guilt. _Its all my fault! Its all my fault! Its all my fault!_ A small whimper escaped his lips.

"You fool!" Soruyo pulled Gizan away, the Rain leader pointed angrily at the prisoner on the ground. "I told you to take it easy with him! We are not finished interrogating!"

"Che, there's still that other one." Gizan scoffed, he seemed pleased with himself. "Interrogate him."

Gizan was knocked flat to the floor by a punch to the face from Soruyo. The Rain leader scowled down at his subordinate, his eyes holding a dangerous light. "When I give an order, I expect it to be followed."

Gizan looked up at Soruyo, a defiant smirk on his face. "Too bad for you, the Nara will not be able to be questioned for a few days. You can play with the Hyuuga until then."

Soruyo glared down at Gizan. "The Anbu is more valuable, you know that. I will no longer tolerate you or Kuma's insolence. You Gizan, have gone too far." The goateed Rain nin turned to leave through the opposite door. He turned at the last second as remembering something. "Return him to his cell. Questioning will resume in two days."

Once Soruyo had left, Gizan rubbed his cheek and looked up at Kubashi, who was chuckling softly. Gizan sneered at his stooped companion. "Hmph. Young pups don't know how to have fun anymore."

* * *

Shikamaru could not recall when he was dumped into his cell. Neji's hollow eyes haunted him with every passing moment. On the ground, he curled up into a tight ball in an attempt to protect himself from that vision, which was now speaking to him. 

"...maru...Shikamaru!"

A slap to the face brought Shikamaru's teary eyes into focus. Neji's face blurred into view, his pale eyes full of concern. "Can you hear me?"

"Neji?" Shikamaru croaked, his hands groped for the Hyuuga's shirt. "Oh god! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"

"By the First! What did they do to you!" Neji was unnerved by his companion's frantic babblings, though now he could clearly see the warning signs of Shikamaru working himself into a fit. Neji brushed loose strands of hair from his distressed friend's face, whose dark eyes did not seem to focus on reality. The young Hyuuga desperately racked his brain for an idea on how to calm Shikamaru down before he injured himself. Neji suddenly remembered how his late father had once comforted his young son after a bad dream. He decided to put that memory to use.

"Shhh, its ok. It was a bad dream." Neji gathered Shikamaru into his arms, who immediately began to sob uncontrollably into his chest. Neji slowly rocked back and forth, cradling the shuddering form while gently stroking his hair and face. "It was all just a dream. Shhh."

After a long while, the young Anbu had calmed down past the point of hysteria. His body continued to shake with sobs as he clutched tightly onto the young Hyuuga, refusing to release his hold. It pained Neji to witness the once carefree and aloof Shikamaru reduced to such an emotionally unstable state. All he could do was hug his crying friend closer to himself as he tried to soothe the demons away.

Neji knew in his heart that his attempts were futile. No matter how successful he was at driving bad dreams away, the nightmare will just resume the next day.

* * *

Notes: "Akumu no jitsu!" translates to "Nightmare Technique" 

**Some notes on the names of the Rain Shinobi.**

With the exception of Gizan and Soruyo, all the Rain nin's names have a significance to their characters. **Kuma** is Japanese for bear, which is what the fur cloak that he wears is made of. **Kubashi **is a play on the Japanese word for 'beak,' **Hariyo** is also a play on the word for 'Needle.'

I'd like to know what you think. Please R/R!


	5. During the Night

**Summery: **Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival? Eventual NejiShika

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing (smiles in embarrassment.)

This Naruto fic is in its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

**BE FOREWARNED!** There is shonen-ai in this chapter! This is where the NejiShika word comes into play. **Flames** will be thrown in the fire to toast my marshmallows, posted in the next chapter to be **rediculed**, then **deleted.** So don't bother.

* * *

Ch. 5 During theNight 

Neji could not clearly remember exactly when Shikamaru had fallen asleep in his arms. There was no feasible way to measure time in the windowless prison other than mentally ticking the minutes.

Unable to remain still with his agitation, Neji spent those unmeasured hours pacing the small cell. He tried to ignore the aching wounds where Hariyo had sliced out his flesh. (The medical nin had even went so far as to extract blood samples from his forehead seal.) His arm, thigh and torso had been bandaged where Hariyo had cut into him. The young Hyuuga knew that his wounds had only been dressed to keep his living body as reserves for further testing. For how much longer he will be kept for reserves, Neji did not want to dwell.

Tired of pacing, Neji strode over towards the sealed door where a platter of rice and a bowl of water had been left for the prisoners.

Neji stared at the board of rice. The rice seemed to stare back at him. Despite confirmation that neither the food or water had been tampered, he had no appetite. Either way, the food needed to go somewhere. With a small sigh, Neji's gaze shifted from the rice to his huddled companion in the corner of the room.

Shikamaru's had withdrawn into himself ever since he had awoken from a fitful sleep. He did not seem to fully acknowledge Neji's presence, and would not respond to his companion's voice. This left Neji guessing on of what sort of illusion Shikamaru was trapped in, though he guessed that it was some form of a cognitive illusion technique. Shikamaru had been in the grips of the illusion in the last several hours, and showed no signs of shaking it off. The once laid back Shikamaru possessed the appearance of an entirely different person; The Shadow Anbu was lost somewhere in the young man huddled in the corner, whose dull eyes no longer contained the spark of his former speculative self.

It worried Neji that his condition had not changed over the last few hours.

With the food in hand, Neji knelt down in front of Shikamaru. The young man did not seem to notice the Hyuuga's presence, and remained still with his knees drawn to his chest. Neji pushed the bowl of rice towards his silent companion. "Here, you need to eat."

Shikamaru lifted his gaze long enough to notice the platter, then turned away from the proffered food to stare at the floor.

Neji's mouth curled into a frown. "Nara, you have to eat. You need to keep your strength for when we escape." After receiving no response, Neji growled in frustration, his sympathy finally wearing thin. "If you're not going to eat, _I_ will. I have no intention of remaining a prisoner in this place!" With a huff, Neji plopped down next to his companion and picked at a clump of rice. With his attention stubbornly fixed on the food, Neji almost did not hear Shikamaru's soft voice.

"Am I a failure?" The inquiry was whispered.

Neji paused with rice raised to his lips. The food forgotten, he scrambled over to look his companion in the eyes. It was the first time Shikamaru had coherently spoken in hours. "What did you say?"

The young Nara's eyes seemed a little less glassy. He blinked slowly as if trying to wake from a deep sleep, his voice halting uncertainly. "I...let them hurt you. I didn't...want–."

"I'm alright." Neji interrupted and motioned to his bandaged arms. "They cut me a little, but I've had worse." Neji gripped his companion's shoulders. "Focus on me and try to break free of this dream. Shikamaru, listen to me!"

"I-I saw the future." Shikamaru continued, his voice becoming hoarse. "You-you were dying, and I can't do anything to help you!" Shikamaru gripped his knees tighter as his body shook with emotion.

_Its like he's in a dream that he can't wake from. _Neji thought. _A small part of him realizes that I have not...been disposed of yet._

Neji's hand reached out to gently lift Shikamaru's chin for their eyes to meet. "Nothing has been determined yet." Neji focused to look past the glazed eyes to reach the shinobi within the terrified young man. "We have to fight for a new future; If you allow fate to take control of your mind, then there will be no possibility of a different future." Neji smiled to himself. "It was Naruto that taught me so."

Shikamaru's eyes flickered as if the words had reached his troubled mind. Encouraged by this, Neji continued. "We're not going to die here, we have to plan for escape."

"Plan...strategize?" Shikamaru murmured.

"Yes." Neji nodded. "We have to strategize a way out."

"S'not...gonna work." Shikamaru's eyes glazed over as he began to fall back into stupor.

"No you don't!" Neji shook his companion's shoulders, his voice rising in panic. "Shit! Stay with me Nara, fight it! Don't leave me alone in here!"

"So...hard."

Desperate to keep his friend conscious, Neji pulled Shikamaru's limp form up to his feet. "Lets walk for a bit, that should help you stay awake." With an arm draped over his shoulders for support, Neji led the young Nara around the small room. Shikamaru had great difficulty putting one foot in front of the other, so for the most part it was Neji dragging him around in circles. The Hyuuga could feel his wounds reopening from the strain of dragging Shikamaru's body. Neji merely gritted his teeth and continued to walk, desperate to keep his comrade conscious. A conversation seemed to be in order.

The words poured from his mouth in a half thought-out stream. "Remember the Chuunin exams all those years ago? I was unable to watch you fight but I heard that you took over three hours to deliver a strategy. Heh, after all that time you gave up the fight to that Sand nin. Despite everything else, you were the only one who became a Chuunin. Ironic eh? Though you proved to be a competent leader during our mission to recover Sasuke."

Shikamaru made a small sound that Neji interpreted as a whimper. The Hyuuga's wounds ached from dragging a semi-conscious body around, so he took the sound as a cue to gently ease Shikamaru to the floor.

With a grunt, Neji leaned against the wall next to Shikamaru. He glanced at his blood soaked bandages, and hissed in pain at what he saw. "Damn that Hariyo" he cursed under his breath. He had not received such wounds since the war with the Sound. Neji was never one for idle conversation, though now he could no longer stand the deafening silence of the room, and his voice seemed to comfort Shikamaru.

"Tenten died during the war with the Sound." Neji's pale eyes blinked as he recalled old memories. " Its so strange to lose a teammate. Hn, I was there when she died. We used to spar together, though I didn't know much about her outside of comradeship. For that I...regret not getting to know her better." Neji shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. "As comrades, I was so wrapped up in my own concerns that I never realized how little I knew about her until after she died." The Hyuuga sighed. "It is a mistake that I don't ever want to repeat."

Neji did not receive a reply from his silent companion. He didn't expect one. Lost in bittersweet memories of days gone by, he fell silent in his thoughts.

"I hate mistakes." Shikamaru whispered.

Neji was caught off guard, he did not count on Shikamaru actually listening to his personal rumblings. "Well..." Neji coughed to cover his embarrassment. "Everyone makes mistakes at one time or another."

Shikamaru shook his head slightly. "I think about avoiding mistakes all the time. I can't afford to make mistakes, _ever_."

"Why is that?" Neji pressed to keep Shikamaru talking.

Shikamaru closed his eyes. "I'm afraid of getting someone killed. Even during that rescue mission after you and Choji got hurt...I-I still think to this day what path I could have chosen...what different move I could have made to prevent it from happening."

Neji sighed. "Its natural to feel so. All team leaders fear for their subordinates' lives on a mission. As for that mission...what's done is done, we all came out alive and well in the end."

Shikamaru grabbed his head and shook it violently. "But it never should have happened! There's always another way, I'm just too stupid to see it!" A broken sob escaped. "And now we're here with no way out, and you're gonna die _and I can't stop it!"_ Shikamaru buried his face into his knees, his lean frame shook with sobs.

Neji sighed in defeat, Shikamaru was back where he had started. There was nothing more for him to do, without Shikamaru's help they will never be able to escape. Neji had never felt so helpless. He made as if to move when a hand grabbed his arm. "Don't leave me!" Shikamaru's whispered.

Neji turned to see Shikamaru clutching his bandaged arm, his dark doe eyes full of pleading.

"Please, don't leave me alone."Shikamaru repeated. "I'm scared."

Something tugged at Neji's heart. He wanted to comfort Shikamaru; as to make that pathetic look dissipate by even a fraction. Slowly, he knelt down to be eye level with Shikamaru. "I won't leave you." He hesitated, then leaned forward to gently plant a kiss on the Nara's brow.

Neji ran his hand along the dark mussed hair that had mostly freed itself of the hairtie. Shikamaru closed his eyes and leaned into his hand. Neji frowned, a little unsure of what he can do to comfort his tortured friend. He ran a thumb over Shikamaru's tear streaked cheeks to coax his eyes open. Shikamaru's eyes remained as pleading as they were before. Pity and further concern washed over Neji, and he gave in to its resolve. He scooted closer and put his arm around Shikamaru to pull him close, to create comfort and warmth for both their sakes.

Shikamaru immediately snuggled against Neji, closing his eyes tightly. Neji sighed knowing that this was all he could do for the young man, to sit by his side and be the source of comfort Shikamaru was searching for.

Suddenly tired, Neji rested his cheek on the top of Shikamaru's head as he wrapped his other arm around the young man. Soon he fell asleep with the thoughts of tomorrow far from his mind. For now, it was enough to hold and to be held in someone's arms.

And thus the two prisoners slept as soundly as they could; for being with each other was the only comfort they possessed before they faced the uncertainty of tomorrow.

An tomorrow will prove to be a dark day.

* * *

I warned you of the NejiShika action! If you flame, you will be deleted then ridiculed at in my next chapter. So don't bother. 

Extra special thanks to mah friend Sloan for helping me with the sappy bits while I was all mentally drained for ideas. (pelts you with heart shaped candy)

**Next chappie** involves Kuma taking a bit more interest in ourNeji, so be warned of the possibility of ratings going up.

Please R/R! It fills me with fanficing joy!


	6. Desperate Sacrifice

**Summery: **Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival? NejiShika

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing (smiles in embarrassment.)

This Naruto fic is in its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

**

* * *

**

Ch.6 Desperate Sacrifice

Footsteps

Faintly tapping on stone.

Slowly gaining in volume.

The sound of the approaching footsteps reached Neji's ears. Pale eyes snapped opened. "They're coming..." Neji muttered, willing away the last wisps of sleep from his head. He looked down to see Shikamaru still wrapped in his arms. "Shikamaru, wake up." Neji urgently nudged the sleeping Nara, whose eyes fluttered opened to reveal they were rolled up to show the whites before they closed again.

"Shikamaru!" Neji hissed and lifted him up to prop the Nara'sback against the wall. Shikamaru's eyes slowly slid open, but did not fix on Neji. He groaned softly.

_What? He's withdrawn again?_ As if to add to his horror, Shikamaru's body began to slowly slide off the wall, his head lolling to one side. "Shikamaru!" Neji caught his body from hitting the hard floor and pulled the young man close to himself. Filled with despair, Neji buried his face into Shikamaru's neck. "Please...wake up!" his voice choked.

Behind them, the doors slid open.

"Well well, what do we have here?" A voice Neji did not recognize sneered. "Two lovebirds in the nest?"

Neji turned to see a one eyed shinobi alongside Kuma in the doorway. The unfamilar shinobi smirked. "Please don't stop for my sake. I enjoy a good show."

Neji carefully leaned Shikamaru against the wall, then slowly stood up to face his captors. His instincts warned that their visitors were not present to merely interrogate. He made a point to put himself between Shikamaru and the two Rain nin. "What do you want?"

"You're a smart boy," Gizan snickered. "You should realize what we want."

Neji felt his chest tighten with dread, but remained outwardly calm. "Hariyo has yet to complete his tests."

"Hariyo only needs your eyes." Kuma rumbled then took a step towards Neji. "That's all he needs."

Neji fell into an aggressive stance, his mouth curling into a snarl. "Touch me and I _will_ kill you!" he hissed.

"I'd like to see you try, little Leaf." Gizan replied and took a similar stance. "Though I'm not the one you should be watching."

In a flash Kuma rushed Neji. The Hyuuga lashed out to retaliate but was easily overtaken in the limited space of the prison cell, and was pinned to the wall by Kuma's massive girth. Neji cried out and struggled to break free to no avail.

Gizan smirked at Neji and squatted next to Shikamaru, who had not moved during the whole ordeal. "Did you really think that you alone could protect yourself and your comrade from us?" The one eyed nin drew forth a kunai and lightly traced Shikamaru's jaw with the tip. "If you insist on being difficult, I could arrange a little 'accident.'" He held the weapon to Shikamaru's cheek. "A prisoner doesn't need a pretty face to talk."

Neji did not reply to the threat and continued to squirm against Kuma. Gizan pressed the blade point farther into Shikamaru's cheek until a trickle of blood oozed out to roll down his chin.

"I can carve his face up like a block of wood." Gizan continued, enjoying the fact that his material of choice has remained unresponsive to the pain. He moved the kunai up to the left temple and applied light pressure to the tip. "Just the smallest slip and he can lose and ear...or worse."

Shikamaru blinked slowly and continued to stare at the ground.

"S-Stop!" Neji gasped. With eyes tightly closed he drew in a shuddering breath before forcing his tense body to slacken against Kuma's body. He allowed his hands to hang limply on his sides, and he turned his head away in compliance.

"That's better." Gizan withdrew the kunai from Shikamaru's face.

Kuma relaxed his weight enough to allow Neji some breathing space. He extended a hand out to tilt the young Hyuuga's chin towards him. Neji refused to make eye contact. Kuma frowned as he contemplated his prisoner's face. "You would sacrifice your body to defend a useless comrade?" With his free hand, Kuma grabbed Neji's hair by the scalp, causing his eyes to fly open in sudden pain. "How pitiful." Kuma rumbled. Without warning, he threw the Hyuuga forcefully to the ground by his hair.

Neji hit the ground hard with a gasp but made no attempt to scramble away. From the corner of his eye could see Gizan standing over Shikamaru with kunai poised as a warning.

Neji closed his eyes. _I must protect him._

Neji did not move when he felt a large presence loom over him, then Kuma's hot breath wafting on his neck. He resisted the urge to lash out and instead gritted his teeth when rough calloused hands began to wander over his torso, finding its way under his shirt and tear at the fabric.

The young Hyuuga's body trembled with both anger and fear. _I will do what it takes to save him! _Even so, a small part of Neji hoped that wouldn't live much longer to endure the shame that was befalling him. A small whimper escaped his lips when Kuma's hands made their way further down to forcehis thighs apart then wander higher to tear at the fabric of his shorts.

Gizan soon lost interest in Kuma's activities. He lifted Shikamaru's chin with the flat of his kunai to study the prisoner's blank face. "Hmph. I doubt that he will return anytime soon. This one's mind was so easy to break." A sudden thought occurred to Gizan, he snickered nastily as he tucked the kunai into his belt. "Hee hee, he's just a limp doll for me to play with; but all warm and still like a fresh corpse." He reached out towards Shikamaru with a perverse gleam in his only eye. "I like it when they don't fight back!"

From under Kuma, Neji could see Gizan reach for Shikamaru. "No!" he cried, suddenly giving into the rising panic and thrashed his body about in a blind attempt to squirm away from the man above.

"Be still!" Kuma growled in annoyance and cuffed Neji, which only added to his creeping hysteria. With a snarl Kuma shifted his body weight to pin Neji's wrists with one massive hand, using the other to continue his assault.

Completly immobilized, Neji could only scream "Shikamaru!"

Gizan never got a hold of his victim. The Rain nin's single eye widened in surprise when a hand grasped his wrist mere inches from raching the captive's face.

"But-how?" Gizan could only gawk when the dull eyes of the prisoner suddenly lit up with life. "Impossible!"

Gizan's kunai was embedded into his throat before he had a chance to recover from his shock.

"The hell?" Kuma paused and looked up in time to see Gizan's corpse crumple before the feet of the Anbu.

"Shika–!" Neji gasped from under Kuma. Not wasting the opportunity of his opponent's distraction, Neji headbutted Kuma.

"Gah!" The furred rain nin rolled off Neji and fumbled for his weapons as he tried to get his bearings.

It was all the Anbu needed. His eyes hard with determination, he rushed Kuma with Gizan's kunai. Kuma swung around to avoid the attack; which resulted in Shikamaru stabbing him in the shoulder. With a roar, Kuma dealt a blow to his opponent's face. Shikamaru crashed into the adjacent wall, losing his grip on the kunai.

Scrambling to his feet, Neji dove for the spinning weapon.

Kuma snarled and reached down with the intent of breaking the Anbu's neck with his bare hands. Shikamaru dealt an uppercut to Gizan's chin, who reeled from the blow but quickly recovered enough to grab a hold of Shikamaru's exposed neck. Kuma sneered at the Anbu in triumph and began to tighten his hold. Suddenly, his eyes rolled up and he loosened his hold on Shikamaru's windpipe.

Neji grimly loosened his hold on the kunai and pushed Kuma's body over. With a gurgle, the dead shinobi fell heavily to the floor, the kunai buried deep into the back of his brain.

Feeling suddenly nauseated, Neji fell back down to the floor. His mind swam with mixed emotions as his bare arms clutched the renements of his torn shirt. He shivered from the terror that still persisted from barely escaping rape.

"Neji." Shikamaru placed a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

Neji closed his eyes, pushing away the feelings of those rough hands invading his body. He swallowed before answering. "When did you--"

"Last night." Shikamaru helped Neji to his feet.

Neji glared at the Anbu, but its effects were weakened by feelings of hurt. "You tricked me! You were going to let him-"

"No, I was not." Shikamaru interrupted, suddenly looking serious. "They had to let their guard down before I made an attack. This was the only probable way to break through their defenses without our jitsus."

Neji rubbed his temples, adverting his gaze from Shikamaru's steely eyes to glance at the two corpses. "Either way, we won the fight. Now what?"

Shikamaru smirked. "We escape!"

* * *

Woo! Shika kicks da ass! 

You all must love me for that cliffhanger. (dodges random pointy objects being thrown)

Special thanks to Sabaku no S.moore, Mayfair, Raevyn M, Nova Alexandria, Kokuryuuha018 and to everyone else that reviewed!

Please R/R! They urge me to get off my ass and write!


	7. The Fight Home: Part One

**Summery: **Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival? NejiShika

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing (smiles in embarrassment.)

This Naruto fic is in its pure unbeta'ed form. Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji's characters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmallows of happiness!

* * *

Ch.7 The Fight Home 

The fight inside the cell had been loud. Since no one ventured down to investigate, it was safe to assume that the other three rain nin were not present in the base. As quickly and quietly as possible, the two former prisoners set upon themselves to strip the bodies for weapons and andything they might need. Neji removed Kubashi's light brown shawl to tie around his torso, for Kuma had ripped his own shirt to shreds. Shikamaru found rolls of thick bandaging on Kuma; with it both the Leaf nin wrapped their bare feet for protection and extra grip on slippery surfaces. Once finished of their grisly task, they snuck up the stone stairs to find the hallway deserted of either humans and birds.

Both Neji and Shikamaru exchanged glances, both with an eyebrow raised, they both felt uneasy at how easy their escape upstairs had been. Shikamaru tried the door to the interrogation room, and found it to be locked. Any intention to retrieve their belongings were abandoned at the risk of making more noise breaking down the door.

"Now what?" Neji shuddered against the chill he felt penetrate through his stolen shawl.

Shika looked up to scan the ceiling beams, which remained void of birds. He pointed to the small opening high above. "We'll have to go through the bird roost"

Neji squinted through the bright light pouring in from the small opening. "The opening is supported by wood boards. I can see grass creeping into the roost; this whole base must be underground."

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose. "The roost must have been built by Kubashi. Lets hope he's not good at building." He leaped up into the beams, and was followed by Neji. Upon inspecting the beams holding the small opening open, Shikamaru smiled at what he saw. "As I hoped, its just boards supporting the hole open."

Neji cracked his knuckles and smiled wryly. "Who said shinobi are great carpenters? It's a wonder that our bases stay up"

"Lucky for us." Shikamaru muttered and got to work digging under the boards. With effort, they were able to pull out the supporting boards and dig away at the hard dirt with their hands until there was enough space to squeeze though. They worked silently, their ears strained for any sound of the enemy. Once the hole was enlarged enough, they squeezed through with little hesitation.

They found themselves in the midst of a rain drenched forest.

Shikamaru cast his dark eyes about to the sun above, noting its position. A decision had to be made. "We're within the borders of the Rain territory."

"East then." Neji concluded.

Shikamaru nodded. "Home. Lets get the hell out of here."

* * *

The danger of traps and hidden pits was too great to risk to travel on the ground, so the two fugitives took to the trees. Travel through the slick tree branches had to be slow and deliberate, for chakra could not be used to stabilize their footing; even with the bandages wrapped around their feet. For a long while, neither Shikamaru or Neji made any attempt to speak to one another, for all their concentration focused on safely leaping from one tree to another while at the same time remaining alert for any signs of persuit. 

Even without the Byakugan, Neji's trained eyes remained sharp enough to pick out numerous traps that had been set. However, he was unable to prevent the fall of a clipped twig plummet to a trip wire far below, which caused the silence of the forest to be shattered bya tremendous explosion. Shikamaru, who had been closely following Neji bore the brunt of the blast and was thrown backwards in midair, crashing heavily into branches as he fell to the earth.

"Shikamaru!" Neji scrambled down after his comerade, fully aware that the fall Shikamaru took could easily kill an unconscious person.

Much to Neji's relief, he found that Shikamaru's fall had been broken by a dense bush. In it, the Anbu was slowly recovering from being stunned.

"You alright?" Neji asked as he landed next to his companion.

"Gah, I hate this." Shikamaru groaned then struggled out of the bush, apparently unharmed. He brushed soot from his white clothes. "I'm just a little scorched, thats all."

Neji glanced at the trees above in apprehension. "They will be here soon. We must hurry."

Shikamaru gnawed the bottom of his lip in thought. "We don't stand a chance if all three of them catch up to us. There's a good possibility that they're split up searching for us, and they might arrive at different times."

"An ambush?" Neji fiddled with a kunai.

The Anbu nodded. "The element of surprise is our best offense." Shikamaru bent down to scoop up a handfull of damp earth and began to scrub it into his white clothes.

Neji smiled grimly as he knelt down to do the same. "So, what do you have in mind?"

* * *

Both Shikamaru and Neji had three fire tages and a dozen kunai between them. With both the weapons and terrain, Shikamaru was able to improvise a trap. They found a clearing boardered by giant old growth trees that were big and thick enough to withstand minor damage from the firetags. The trees were old growth,and possessed girth that would take a dozen full grown men with hands together to wrap themselves around. 

It was those trees in which Shikamaru had set his plan. The plan consisted of cornering the foe against one of the old trees, where a ring of three fire tags laid in place. Neji's task would be to force the person into the explosion range; Shikamaru would then throw a kunai at one of the tags to create an explosive chain reaction, with the most damage being in the middle where the combined explosions meet. The final result would leave a small crater in the ground.

After the trap had been set, Neji and Shikamaru waited on opposite sides of the clearing. Their white clothes covered in mud for added camoflouge. The did not have to wait long before a Rain nin's presence was sensed.

Up above in the trees, Kubashi appeared. Very silently, the hawk nosed shinobi decended the tree brances to inspected the tracks both Shikamaru and Neji deliberatly placed. From what little chakra intuition they possed, both Neji and Shikamaru were certain that Kubashi was alone.

Kubashi turned around to scan the clearing, his back turned to where Neji was hiding. It was the perfect opportunity. Neji readied himself to attack; he was about to leap out when Kubashi suddenly addressed him. "Don't waste your energy Hyuuga." The Rain nin turned around to fix his round yellow eyes onNeji through the bush. "I know where you are hiding."

Seeing no further need for pretense, Neji slowly stepped away from the bush. "Too bad, I would have had the advantage."

Kubashi blinked. "Indeed. And where is your friend?" Kubashi drew forth a kunai."Not hiding over _there_ is he?" The Rain nin threw the kunai at the bushes where Shikamaru hid. Shikamaru gasped in surprise then scrambled out of the way in time for the kunai to whizz over his head; his cover was blown.

"Kukuku, found you!" the stooped shinobi chuckled. "Do not forget that this forest has eyes that I can see."

_The birds._ Shikamaru scanned the branches above. _If our positions can be given away, they might spot the firetags. _

Kybashi eyed Neji with an upturned eyebrow. "If you come with me quietly, I will personally gauntee your safe return after we complete the questioning."

"Like hell you will!" Neji scoffed. "You think us naïve enough to believe that shit? You shouldn't underestimate us; after all, we did kill two of your comerades."

_There!_ Shikamaru spotted it: a small falcon perched in the tree above Kubashi. Slowly, he pulled a kunai from the rim inside his hospitalshorts.

Kubashi sneered. "Those two were fools to underestimate the desperation of unarmed prisoners. They deserved their fate!"

In a flash, Shikamaru threw the kunai. Kubashi whipped out his own kunai to block the attack, but it was not meant for him. The falcon abovelet out a startled squawk beforethe weaponreached it. The dead bird fell heavily to the forest floor with a dull thud, the kunai still stuck in its breast.

Kubashi hissed in rage. "I will make you pay tenfolds!"The stooped shinobi paused to bite through the skin of his thumb, he then raised his hands to form a seal. "You will find that I am not as careless as those two fools!" The space around Kubashi erupted into a giant cloud of smoke. From it, a deafening, unearthly shriek sounded. The smoke cleared to reveal a giant eagle with Kubashi standing calmly on its back.

Both Shikamaru and Neji inhaled sharply at wittnessing the sheer size of the eagle, which very nearly filled the entire clearing. The summoned eagle spread its wings in preperation for flight; Its wingspan reached as far as the width of one of the five hokage's sculptured faces at Konoha.

Shikamaru realized Kubashi's plan. "We won't have a chance to reach him if he takes flight!"

Neji glanced at Shikamaru, his mouth set into a grim line. "I'll knock Kubashi from the bird. You distract it!" Before Shikamaru could protest, Neji shot off towards the giant raptor. Shikamaru cursed the Hyuuga under his breath then leaped into the trees.

Kubashi spotted Neji running towards him fast. He clicked his tongue to attract the eagle's attention to the running figure. The eagle obeyed and poised its beak to strike. Before it could do so, the left side of its head was struck by a fist-sized rock. The eagle stumbled from the blow, then turned to see Shikamaru up in the trees.

At the same time, Neji leaped onto the raptor's back to crash into Kubashi. Together, they fell to the ground. Both Kubashi and Neji were able to right themselves before hitting the ground, and immediatelyboth shinobi took defensive stances.

The giant eagle turned to help its master, then another fist sized rock to the beak directed its attention elsewhere. "Hey! Over here stupid bird!" Shikamaru cried from the branch he was on, waving his arms wildly.

The eagle hesitated, torn between helping its master or tearing apart its tormenter.

Shikamaru doubled his efforts. "You stupid bird! Can't you see me? I'll start pulling your feathers out!" With no more rocks to throw, Shikamaru pelted the eagle with hard pine cones. Enraged by the taunts, the raptor hissed and akwardly hobbled towards the tree where its tormenter had positioned himself at the bird's eye level.

On the ground, Kubashi smirked at Neji. "Cute tactic your friend has. Too bad for him that Woashi-san has an appetite for cowards."

Neji did not offer a retort, and instead smirked back. He struck out at Kubashi, dealing powerful blows to get a feel for his opponent. Kubashi danced around, blocking each move with neither ease or difficulty. The force of Neji's attack drove him backwards towards the trap. All too soon, Kubashi turned his defense into an offense. Neji all but reeled under the suprising speed Kubashi dealt his blows. _His blows hardly hold any power._ Neji thought with a sense of awe. _He must have traded mass for speed. _Neji could feel that Kubashi's blows held enough power to seriously injure or kill if they hit the right spot. It took Neji's complete concentration to just catch up with the barrage.

Up in the trees, Shikamaru had to climb higher to avoid the wrath of the giant raptor's sharp beak. He continued to strike the eagle with more pinecones as he climbed, all the while sending down a barrage of insults. "Fuckin' chicken can't even get off the ground! There's nothing that you can do to get me! Nyah Nyah!"

The eagle dodged its head from another pinecone missle and snapped at it. It turned to glare at Shikamaru, its yellow eyes filled with bloodlust. "Sksss! I will sssnap off your ssskull! You'sss deadbeast! Sksss!" The raptor spread its wings and with a few pumps, took flight to be level where the Anbu perched.

"Ohhh boy." Shikamaru gulped, realizing that the eagle intended to snatch him from the branches. His brain raced for any ideas; with him he had only four kunais, which were no match to kill the eagle. From those, he had to throw one to activate the firetags below where Kubashi and Neji now fought. With the giant eagle in the way, Shikamaru did not have a clear shot to hit the one exposed firetag. The eagle reached out its foot, the talons extended to pierce through Shikamaru's body...

_Thats it! _Shikamaru pulled out one of the precious kunai and fixed his eye on the target: The tendon between bone and knuckle on the eagle's right foot. Shikamaru threw the kunai as hard as he could,the target was not hard to miss.

The eagle shrieked in pain. The sudden attack caused it lost wing control and dip towards the ground, providing an open shot towards the firetag.

Shikamaru did not waste any time. He reached for another kunai and glanced towards the battle below. "NEJI!"

On cue, the Hyuuga dealt Kubashi a hefty kick into the gut; sending his opponent into the ring of fire. Before the Rain nin had a chance to recover, Shikamaru threw the kunai.

**BOOM**

Shikamaru shielded his face against the blast. Smoke filled the entire clearing, and a deafening silence followed. When the smoke finally settled, Kubashi's body was revealed in a crumpled heap on the forest floor. The giant eagle shrieked in dispair and turned its attention to its fallen master. The eagle landed next to its master's burned body and stuck its face down for closer inpection. Kubashi's burned body twitched to indicate that he was still alive.

Without hesitation, the raptor carefully, if not tenderly gathered Kubashi into its talons and pumped its wings to take flight into the air, back towards the Rain base.

Shikamaru did not move for several minutes until both the Eagle and Kubashi were far from view. He glanced down at the clearing, and saw that there were no signs of his comrade.

"Neji!" Shikamaru scrambled down the tree and ran towardsthe detonated trapHe received no answer from the Hyuuga. Spotting tracks, hethem into the dense underbrush. There, he found Neji retieing bandages on his arms.

Shikamaru sighed in relief. "Shit Neji, why didn't you answer?"

The young Hyuuga tugged at a bandage with his teeth and looked up. "I didn't want to attract attention to my location. I couldn't see where the eagle had gone. Is Kubashi dead?"

"I'm not sure. The bird flew away with him." Shikamaru wearily watched Neji pull off several lengths of bloodied bandages from his calf. "Are you hurt bad"

Neji shrugged. "That bastard kept aiming for my wounds; he was trying to slow me down."

Shikamaru knelt down to take over unwrapping the bloody bandage. Neji hissed at the pain when the last bandage was pulled from the raw flesh. Shikamaru's eyes widened at what he saw. "Fuck, Neji."

Neji gave a weak smile. "All that fighting caused some wounds to split open twice as big. Its nothing that a poltice can't staunch...are you alright?"

The young Nara blinked and looked up from the wound, his face pale. "Huh? Wha–? Er, I was-I mean, I was...urgh!" Shikamaru turned away and vomited. Neji observed in shocked silence as Shikamaru emptied the few contents of his stomach onto the forest floor. Neji made no move to respond until Shikamaru finished.

Shikamaru gagged at the acidic aftertaste in his mouth then spat out what was left. Sitting up, he avoided Neji's gaze. "I-I'll be fine. I'm just a little sick, thats all."

Neji stared at Shikamaru for a long time, unconvinced. "I thought you were over the relapses."

"Me too." Shikamaru shuddered at what he would like to believe was the cold. "Lets keep moving."

Neji nodded in agreement. "Good idea"

* * *

Hariyo placed a chakra enduced hand over Kubashi's burns in an attempt to soothe the pains. Kubashi groaned. The blue haired medical nin tried his best to concentrate on his task while his tempermental team leader paced the room. 

Soruyo's entire being radiated anger and frustration. A curious habit of his, while angry, was to scratch under the brown cap where his unruly auburn hair was kept. At the moment, Soruyo was rubbing at his scalp furiously. "Three causulties: Two dead, and one heavily wounded. How?" His voice dropped to a snarl. "By two whelps who can't use their chakra!" Soruyo bent over to speak into Kubashi's his badly burned ear. "Where were they heading?"

Kubashi's round eyes turned to his leader, the yellow orbs did not seem to focus. His badly seared lips slowly parted to croak an answer before subcumbing to unconsciousness. "East...to the...river..."

Hariyo placed his hand over Kubashi's face to administer the burns with his blue chakra, he kept his gaze on his patient while he spoke to his leader. "They deserve a long death for making fools of us!"

Soruyo sneered. "As I recalled, it was _you_ who wanted the Hyuuga kept alive." The goateed shinobi rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Either way, it was foolish to keep them both alive with Gizan and Kuma around. Those two deserved to die for their foolishness."

Hariyo ignored the accusation his leader directed at him, and instead turned the conversation to more neutral ground. "I need to stay with him." Hariyo gestured to Kubashi."He might not last the night."

Soruyo nodded, a scowl still on his face.

Hariyo dug into his jacket to retrieve two long needles, and offered them to his leader. "Here, take these. Scratch them with it--just a plain scratch will do, and it will paralyze them to the spot."

Soruyo's dark eyes narrowed at the two long needles in his hand, murmuring to himself. "The mission will not fail." He looked up to set Hariyo with a blank stare. "If these do no work, I will personally kill them with my bare hands."

Hariyo smiled sweetly. "Be sure to bring back the Hyuuga's head for me if you do."

Soruyo's mouth curled to a snarl. "After I'm done with them, there won't be anything _left_ to bring back."

* * *

Dun Dun DUN! More cliffhangers for you all! Don't 'cha love me? (dodges tomatoes) 

Sooooo sorry my peeps on the late chappie! I have been very busy with school (especially in completing that 2D animation skitch > ; )and with life itself. I'll be done with the trimester in August (dies)

Mind you, I love this story and I work on it whenever possible (even at work! Mwahaha!) So rest assured, I fully intend to complete this story.

**Feedback is much appreciated.** Not only does it motivate me to write more, it fills me with fanficing joy!


	8. The Fight Home: Part Two

Summery: Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Under interrogation and torture, without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival?

A big **THANK YOU** goes to my beta for this chapter (underline)**kurokumo** who is my LJ buddy and writer of many great Shika fics o/ GO READ HER STUFF!

Special thanks to Faraway4today for helping me with the story and getting into the 'mode' of Shika and Neji'scharacters. I send you lots of strawberry marshmellows of happiness!

* * *

Ch. 8: The Fight Home part II 

No words were exchanged during the hours that passed after the fight with Kubashi. The two companions traveled in guarded silence, both alert for any hint of pursuit. It was sometime during midday when they first heard the sounds of rushing waters. They followed the source, and eventually reached a steep cliff bordering a river. A good fifteen meters below, the river churned violently with white water rapids.

"Let's rest here for a while." Shikamaru suggested. "From here we have a wide view of the forest below."

Neji gladly slumped against a fallen tree with a heavy sigh. Shikamaru noticed the discomfort the Hyuuga expressed. "You wait here, I'll go forage for something." He volunteered. Neji nodded his thanks in reply, then turned to redress his wounds with the remaining bandages.

Unable to find anything in the immediate vicinity, the young ANBU ventured further out in search of edible food. Once he was certain that he was far enough from Neji's prying eyes, Shikamaru allowed his impassive mask to fall. He was physically exhausted, even more so mentally. A dull headache was not helping him, as well as the persistent fear that dwelled behind it. Nausea crept upon Shikamaru suddenly. He gripped the bark of a nearby tree then retched out the stream water he had drank earlier.

Shikamaru breathed deeply to regain his composure. _I can't believe I'm being affected like this... I must be sick with something._ He rubbed his temples in an effort to will his headache away. _I should make myself some bark tea that might settle my stomach... but I have nothing to boil the water in. Damn._ The young Nara sighed and resumed his search of edible roots and tubers, which he eventually found with the use of his kunai, as well as few mushrooms.

The food that he did find was barely edible; even the roots were littered with patches of rot. Shikamaru gathered his meager findings and made his way back to the clearing. There, he found Neji dozing against the fallen tree. _He's never complained once._ The Nara thought with admiration. _I'm not sure I could have lasted traveling with those wounds as long as he did. _

"Find anything?" Neji inquired without opening his eyes.

Shikamaru shrugged to hide his surprise at Neji's wakefulness, then gestured to the fruits of his labors. "Just some roots and fungus."

With a small grunt, Neji sat up to inspect Shikamaru's findings.

The Nara's eyes softened with concern. "You shouldn't move around; those wounds can reopen again at any sudden movement."

Neji quirked an eyebrow at the young Nara, then moved to sit across from him. "I'm aware of my own body's limitations." He selected a mushroom and bit into it. "I've suffered worse."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. The Hyuuga was being troublesome again. "Either way," the Nara tried to reason. "Try not to push yourself too much. If anything, there should be a safe house somewhere you can rest up."

"Nara." Neji interrupted, fixing Shikamaru with a stare. "It goes without saying that I have far more field experience then you have." His tone was not insulting, but stating fact. "My wounds are neither life threatening nor inhibiting my ability to travel. _We_ cannot afford the luxury of waiting for me to recover. If I can walk I walk. If I can fight I fight. There is no other option for me."

The ANBU fixed Neji with a scowl. "Then what condition are you in?"

Neji wrinkled his nose at the slimy mushroom he was eating. "Many of my wounds are starting to burn with infection. It's to be expected after all the trauma my body's been through."

Shikamaru nodded. "Then we should locate a base for you to recover some strength."

Neji spat out a black mushroom piece, and fixed his companion with a look. "Precious time might be wasted on a base that might never be found. I can still fight even without full rest."

Shikamaru scratched this head and gave the Hyuuga a half smile. "I guess our strategies are different; I'm concerned with defense while you're dead set on creating an offense," the young Nara chuckled.

"So it would seem." Neji returned the smile.

"Still..." Shikamaru picked up a half-rotted roof and absentmindedly pinched off the soggy bits before biting into it with distaste. "By the location and the course this river is flowing, I'm positive that this is the Kohaku river, which leads into the heart of the Fire country. Along it are several hidden bases. We should concentrate on locating one for supplies and a way to contact Konoha."

"Agreed. We should be able to find flares or some other resources."

"Hn." Shikamaru replied.

Silence fell between them as they concentrated on consuming their mediocre rations. For several long minutes, the two young shinobi were left to their own thoughts. Shikamaru mused on all the cloud watching he would need to catch up on, then winced when he realized that after returning home his apartment telephone would be ringing off the hook with his mother yelling at him to be more careful on missions.

Neji contemplated his empty room located in the corner of the Hyuuga estate; then with slight bitterness, wondered if the Main house had noticed his disappearance at all. He watched Shikamaru to distract himself from thinking of home, then the Hyuuga was bothered by another thought.

Neji shifted his feet in discomfort, for several long moments he struggled on voicing a question that troubled him ever since he first noticed Shikamaru picking at his food with apparent little appetite. "I-um, need to know... Shikamaru, how have you been faring?"

Interrupted from his thoughts of his nagging mother, Shikamaru shrugged matter-of-factly. "I'm alright. I get woozy now and then."

Neji sighed. It did not escape him that his partner had paled a bit from the question. "You're a horrible liar Nara."

Shikamaru stared at the food, his appetite gone as well as any attempt at pretense. "It comes and goes. I still see things, flashes of images mostly... they're getting steadily worse."

Neji placed down his half eaten mushroom, his voice quiet. "What sort of feelings do you get from these 'flashes'?"

Shikamaru looked down at his hands, too embarrassed to meet Neji's pale eyes. "I feel... terrified. And guilty." He clenched his hands into fists, his voice leaking frustration. "I-I can't help it, my body freezes up and I can't _do _anything about it!" The young Nara buried his face into his hands then released a shuddering breath, his soft voice betraying all evidence of being completely drained. "It goes against all logic. What's wrong with me?"

_I didn't realize that he was this bad._ With a small grunt, the Hyuuga stood up to kneel down beside Shikamaru, who refused to make eye contact. "Listen," the Hyuuga placed a reassuring hand on his companion's shoulder. "We're so close to home, if we can build a raft of some sort we can reach Konoha in less in a day. Until then, we need to hold out."

Shikamaru bowed his head and sighed. "I'm not sure." He looked up to meet Neji's pale eyes. "If anything were to happen to- _GASP!_" Shikamaru's eyes widened with horror, Neji stared back at him with hollow eye sockets, blood pouring from the edges.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.

Shikamaru scrambled backwards from Neji, terror plastered on his white face. Neji hesitated to approach his comrade, completely unnerved by the sudden change in Shikamaru. The young Nara placed his hands over his head, his body hunched over as he rocked back and forth while muttering to himself. "It's not real, it's not real, it's all in your head, all in your head!"

Seeing the young Nara in such torment felt like a blow to Neji's heart._ Shinobi or not, who can do this to someone? _He thought angrily. Then, without any further hesitation Neji knelt down to wrap his arms around the trembling young man in an attempt to soothe him. "Calm down Shika, its all right, shhh..."

Shikamaru's body went entirely limp against Neji, his dark eyes stared into the nothingness beyond Neji's face. "Am I... going mad?" he asked in a small voice.

_Something's very very wrong if he's hallucinating this bad._ Neji brushed loose strands of dark hair from his companion's face. "Shika, tell me exactly what happened when they took you away."

A long pause, then Shikamaru continued in a flat voice. "I looked into Gizan's eye, through it I saw the beginning of this madness."

_Sounds like some sort of Sharigan._ Neji's mouth pulled into a grim line. _If that were so, why does he continue to hallucinate? It doesn't make sense... he broke out of the spell, he should be recovering by now._ The Hyuuga hissed in pain when Shikamaru's head shifted onto a particularly sore gash on his arm. He cursed silently. _It seems that every cut in my body is becoming infected, as if my body's immune system is down..._ Neji became ridged with sudden realization. _Thats it. _

Carefully, Neji gathered Shikamaru into his arms and stood up to find a suitable place to rest. The Hyuuga found a dry patch of earth under one of the many ancient trees surrounding the clearing. There, he laid Shikamaru to rest with layers of the thick dry moss blanketing his body to keep him warm. _Our bodies are stunted from proper chakra flow, _he thought. _So naturally our immune systems are down... both physically and mentally. _Satisfied that Shikamaru was both sound asleep and properly hidden with insulating moss. Neji shifted his gaze towards the branches above before beginning his ascent up a tree. _I doubt that the Rain had ever intended on crippling Shikamaru's mind to the extent he is now._ The Hyuuga struggled up the moss covered branches for several minutes before reaching the top. Once his head popped through the dense pine needles, he was greeted with an awesome sight.

Beyond the short cliff, a valley laid below. The river leading to Konoha meandered off towards the southeast, its icy glacial waters adding a sharp tinge to the air. White mist shrouded the forest as far as his eyes could see, with the tops of dark pine trees fading in and out from view as the light rain rolled the clouds of mist around the valley.

The natural beauty of the forest was lost upon Neji, who surveyed the valley for any signs of a hidden base along the river bank. His attempts to spot it were in vain, for it was impossible to see through the misty forest grounds. _We could raft down the river._ Neji turned to read the river below, and found the results to be disheartening. _There's no way we can build a raft that could withstand that current. And even if we could build one, it would take two people to man it. _Neji sighed, suddenly feeling very hopeless for their situation. _I can't even see Konoha from here, we must be a good two or three days away on foot._ The young Hyuuga chewed on the bottom of his lip as he contemplated the next course of action. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck raised as he felt hostile eyes upon him.

Neji whipped out a kunai, his pale eyes roamed the surrounding branches for any sign of the intruder. He could not spot the source of his uneasiness, but could feel the distinct presence of unfamiliar chakra heading towards his position.

_Shika...I have to draw them away from him! _Neji leaped down to the more stable branches below; then charged from branch to branch, weaving and ducking in an attempt to throw the intruder off. Instead, the pursuer held his position close behind his prey.

Realizing that he was at a disadvantage, Neji landed into a clearing bordering the brink of the cliff. _Shit, I wasn't able to draw him far enough from Shikamaru. _Neji swallowed hard and with kunai poised, waited for his pursuer to reveal himself.

"I must commend your skills of you Leaf shinobi." A tall figure emerged from the shadows of the forest. A goateed nin armed with a giant shurikan strapped to his back looked over Neji's battered form with some degree of contempt. "Tell me, where is your friend?"

"Dead." Neji replied, taking a defensive stance with his back towards the cliff's border. "He was injured during the last fight."

"Hm." Soruyo reached behind his back to pull out his giant shurikan. "I have a hard time believing that; for all I know he may be waiting to ambush me in the forest." Soruyo's hand hesitated from grasping his favorite weapon, then descended to reach into the folds of his vest. The goateed nin smirked as he drew forth a long needle. "I will not delay, I will finish this quickly."

Neji tightened his grip on the kunai. _I can't risk getting scratched. I must get the needle out of his hand!_ Without any hesitation, Neji rushed Soruyo with his kunai raised to attack. Soruyo in turn took a step back to ready himself for defense, his needle at the ready.

With a snarl, Neji struck down to slice through Soruyo's hand, but his infected wounds made his strike sluggish. The Rain nin was able see through the attack and easily smacked the kunai from Neji's grip, which spun out over to the cliff edge into the river far below. Soruyo sneered, then thrust his needle at his opponent.

Neji was just barely able to deflect Soruyo's blow, out of sheer luck the Rain nin's numbed hand lost its grip on the slender needle, and it too spun into the open space beyond the cliff.

Soruyo cursed vehemently at the Hyuuga, then dealt Neji a hefty kick in the gut. Neji allowed the momentum of the blow to throw him to the ground; where he lashed out at the back of Soruyo's right knee.

The attack did little more than cause the Rain nin to falter his balance, which bought enough time for Neji to regain his feet and pull out another kunai. With as much strength as he could muster, he thrust the kunai towards Soruyo's middle.

He was far too slow. Soruyo merely stepped aside to avoid the attack. His target missed, Neji twisted around in an attempt to adjust his course, but stumbled from the force he had put behind his attack. Soruyo unhooked his giant shurikan and in a flash, hit Neji in the head with the flat side before the young Hyuuga had a chance to spin around.

Neji crumpled to the ground without a sound.

"Feh." Soruyo spat on Neji's still form. "Such a waste of effort." He bent over to inspect his spoils, and found the Hyuuga to be out cold. Soruyo snorted with disgust, then refastened the shurikan to his back. "Such a pathetic battle will give me no joy in killing him now," he muttered. The Rain nin hoisted his prisoner over his shoulder. The unconscious Hyuuga twitched and uttered a small groan.

"Hm, almost forgot..." Soruyo stuck his hand inside his vest to withdraw the one remaining poisoned needle. He held out Neji's arm to jab the paralyzing needle in, a presence behind him drew his attention away.

"What the--!" Soruyo turned around in time for a tree branch to collide into his face. The Rain nin reeled back from the blow, stepping dangerously close to the brink of the cliff. Once he regained his momentum, Soruyo spotted the source of the attack.

Armed with only a broken tree branch, Shikamaru stood his ground. His eyes held the light of a wild beast, half crazed with desperation and rage. "Let him go!" he growled.

"Che, I was wondering where you were!" Soruyo released his grip on the unconscious Hyuuga to feel his bruised jaw, the other hand still retained its grip on the long needle. Neji's prone body remained limply draped over his captor's shoulder.

"I'm warning you " Shikamaru took a step towards Soruyo, "put him down!"

And I'm warning _you _little leaf," Soruyo allowed Neji to slip off his shoulder a bit towards the empty space beyond the cliff; aimed to fall down to the frothing rapids below, "I will let him drop if you get any closer."

Shikamaru froze. His eyes darted frantically from Neji to the needle in Soruyo's hand. It was no idle threat.

Noting his opponent's agitation, Soruyo decided to use it to his advantage. "Then again, now that I have found you, I don't need this Hyuuga anymore." Soruyo allowed Neji to slip a little more, and smirked when Shikamaru's eyes widened with fear. "Would you weep if I let him drop?"

Shikamaru had enough. With an enraged battle cry he threw his kunai at Soruyo, who ducked from the missile's path and knocked it down with the back of his free hand. With the added weight of his prisoner on his shoulder, Soruyo had to adjust his center of gravity as Shikamaru's blurred hands aimed to throw another kunai.

It was a feint. Shikamaru had already thrown his last kunai at Soruyo; he had counted on Soruyo to underestimate his mental stability and it had worked to _his_ advantage. As planned, Soruyo instinctively ducked to avoid the nonexistent weapon, his one free hand splayed out to catch the invisible kunai. As soon as Shikamaru had committed the folly, he rushed towards Soruyo with his branch ready. The Rain nin noticed the trap a moment too late, and pulled his other hand over his face to protect himself from the oncoming blow. It was the hand that held the poisoned needle, a weapon he was not used to holding properly.

Shikamaru aimed to hit the defending hand and, like a hammer to nail, the needle tip sunk sidelong into the Rain nin's cheek. Soruyo arched his head back to screech in pain, dropping an unconscious Neji close to the edge of the cliff in the process. Above him, his former captor clawed desperately at the needle as the concentrated paralyzing poison reached his brain. During his distraction, Soruyo tripped over Neji's body and, weighted by his own shurikan lost his balance and fell backwards to disappear forever over the edge.

Neji's prone form had been pushed farther towards the edge when Soruyo tripped over him. Shikamaru had been completely focused on his enemy's descent that he did not realize until too late that Neji was slipping over the cliff.

"Neji!" Shikamaru lunged down to catch a hold of the Hyuuga, but was unable to get a firm grip. The Nara could only gape as Neji slipped out of his fingers to fall down to the river. "NO!" Shikamaru reached out further in a futile attempt to catch Neji's arm which resulted in him losing his balance.

Before he could fully register what happened, Shikamaru felt himself fall over the edge. Panic overtook him as he groped thin air while he too plunged down headfirst to the frothing river. Shikamaru closed his eyes and waited for the icy impact of the water below.

* * *

Sorry 'bout the cutoff mah peeps! I needed a breather before I go into the next chapter, which stems from a real near-drowning experience when I was 13 on the Deshutes River in Oregon. It will be veryintense writing for me! 

**Please Feed the writer with reviews!**


	9. Our Final Night

Summery: Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Under interrogation and torture, without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival?

A big giant in-your-face **THANK YOU** goes to my beta for this chapter (underline)**kurokumo** who is my LJ buddy and writer of many great Shika fics pelts her with candy hearts 'o doom GO READ HER STUFF!

* * *

Ch. 9: Our Final Night

The river swallowed Shikamaru into its icy grip. The shock of the cold knocked the breath out of him and for a few precious seconds he found himself unable to move his limbs. In those moments, he was at the mercy of the thrashing current. Panic kicked in and Shikamaru flailed until he able to reach surface.

Choking on the spray of the crashing waters, Shikamaru sought desperately for any sign of Neji, but was unable to see beyond the chaos of the swelling waves.

_I can't die here, I **won't **die here!_

The reasonable side of Shikamaru of survival training overrode his natural instinct to fight the currents. It all came back to him and Iruka-sensei's sharp voice rang in his memory: _"If you ever fall into a set of white water rapids, remember that there are two currents: the surface current and the undertow below. Don't get caught in the undertow, it has enough force to pull your shoe off. If you do, it will keep you under until you drown."_

Already trapped in the surface current, Shikamaru allowed his body to float above the water, safely away from the undertow. He positioned his body feet first so that he could kick away from jutting rocks that threatened to smash his skull. It was difficult to float, breath, and steer himself in the sloshing waters that threw him up and down over waves and water-blanketed boulders.

No sooner had he gained some control over the current, Shikamaru glimpsed the edge of the rapids, and realized with terror that it was a small waterfall.

"Oh shit!" Shikamaru sputtered then flipped on his stomach to desperately swim against the current, away from what would most certainly be instant death. It was to no avail, the water continued to drag him against his will. Realizing that his attempts of escaping the current and the impending rapids were futile, he wracked his brain for a means for survival.

Iruka-sensei's voice floated through his mind again, drudging up more reminders of his training._ "In big areas of white water, there are certain types of strong rapids that have both the surface current and the undertow merging. There is only one way to survive these: protect your head and allow the current to pull you underwater. Here, your chances of survival are cut in half: you can either be carried above by the surface current, or continue to be dragged down in the undertow. If that is so, your body will be spat out further downstream long after you have drowned."_

_Fuck._ Shikamaru turned around to face the dip, and bracing himself, he took a deep breath and tucked his body into a ball moments before being carried over. For a split second, he felt a sensation of free falling before Shikamaru's left shoulder blade collided painfully against the smooth edge of a bolder, sending him spinning madly underwater. The two currents seemed to fight over his body, throwing him against the underwater rocks and forcing his body to stretch out from its protective ball. At one point the Nara felt as if he were about to be torn in half by the awesome force of the battling currents. Finally, the opposing force was gone. His lungs fit to burst, Shikamaru stretched out to grasp anything, but all that he could grab was...

Air.

His face broke surface. Kicking furiously, he fought to stay afloat as he gasped life-giving air into his body. He spotted yellow river foam from the rapids swirling and gathering near the banks, where the current flowed close to.

His heart still racing from his brush with death, Shikamaru swam into the heart of the current with the intent of it carrying him close to the bank. As he scanned the shores for something to pull himself out from the water, he spotted among the rocks a pale bandaged hand clutching a thin overhanging branch.

Adrenaline suddenly coursing through his veins, Shikamaru fought to break free of the current. His hands clawed and scrapped against the algae covered surfaces of sharp rocks before he could find a hold. Once he had a firm grip, he pulled himself above water to look for the source of that hand.

He found Neji clinging to a slender branch, his feet tucked under him to keep from getting caught in the undertow. Neji's eyes were tightly shut with concentration and he looked to be fighting to stay conscious.

"Neji!" Shikamaru scrambled over the rocks and onto the bank. Even though his legs wobbled from fatigue, he pressed on until he reached the bank where the Hyuuga dangled in the water. Neji was merely an arm's length away from reaching the shore, but was trapped in an eddy, where the edge of the current swirled in circles like a whirlpool, making it nearly impossible to escape once caught. Neji was too weak to pull himself to shore or fight the current, and was only able to cling to the branch for dear life.

With one arm hooked on a sturdy branch, Shikamaru leaned over to get a firm hold on Neji's arm, then dragged him onto the rocky bank.

The two soaked shinobi collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. After several minutes of lying still, Shikamaru turned to his companion. "You alright Neji?"

The Hyuuga did not respond.

"Neji? _Neji!_" Shikamaru shook his companion, and found him to be unconscious. _He's freezing, I have to get him somewhere warm and dry._ Still shuddering from both the cold and his newfound respect for the river, the Nara hoisted his unconscious companion onto his bruised back. _That damn base better be here somewhere, or we'll soon die from exposure._ He shivered at that thought, and carefully made his way into the forest to follow the river downstream.

* * *

An hour passed. 

Shikamaru was exhausted. He had not put Neji down for fear that he would not have the strength to pull him back onto his shoulders. Instead, the Nara rested by leaning against a tree to help alleviate the weight of his unconscious friend on his back. Every so often, Neji would mumble incoherently into his neck, but Shikamaru doubted that the Hyuuga realized he was being carried.

Evening was quickly descending, and with it, Shikamaru's last dregs of stamina. All he could concentrate on was putting one foot ahead of the other, watching his breath evaporate into the cold air, and looking fervently for Konoha's secret sign of a base.

The base could be anywhere. Though countless eons, the river had carved its way through the earth to expose wide walls of naked rock to the elements. Shallow pockets and caves dotted the stone walls around the bank, though most were hidden by dirt and vegetation. The chances of finding the right one containing the needed supplies seemed very slim.

Shikamaru was near his limit. With a heavy sigh he rested his head against the rough bark of a pine tree. He felt his grip on Neji slowly slipping as the strength in his fingers began to leave him._ After all that, we will die right here alone in the woods_. He cursed bitterly and scanned the terrain one last time before moving on.

Then he found it: a rough outline of a leaf left on the stump of an ancient tree, a symbol that would have gone unnoticed to the untrained eye.

Sobbing with relief, Shikamaru dragged both Neji and himself towards the sign, and after a quick sweep, found a hidden entrance to a small cave under a curtain of moss behind the tree stump.

Inside the cave was dry and spacious, with enough room to stand up straight. Shikamaru leaned Neji down against the wall and fumbled around a bit until he located the lanterns and waterproof matches. Once the cave was lit, the Nara spotted in one corner were tightly bound standard emergency supplies: weapons, rations, medical supplies and emergency blankets.

Shikamaru immediately set about pulling out the blankets from their airtight plastic bags and spreading them on the floor. Carefully, he peeled off the wet shawl and toweled out Neji's long matted hair before laying the Hyuuga down onto the blankets. As he laid Neji into a comfortable position, Shikamaru could feel the heat of infected skin under the wet bandages. _I'll need to disinfect his cuts right away._

After wrapping Neji in the remaining blankets, Shikamaru turned to pull out the bundle of medical supplies. Not wanting to waste time sifting through all the bottles, he dumped the entire contents unceremoniously to the ground. Plastic bottles, jars, and airtight packages spilled into a heap. Tossing the bag aside, Shikamaru knelt down to find the right container. From the corner of his eye, he saw the bright red wrappings of a flare roll among the scattered supplies.

Shikamaru cried out in surprise and pounced on the explosive before it could roll away any further. Shikamaru carefully held the flare in his hand as if it might shatter, his eyes wide with shock. "I don't believe it!" he whispered hoarsely. Without another thought, he grabbed one of the lanterns and scrambled outside to light it.

The flare shot up into the evening sky, leaving a plume of smoke in its wake. Shikamaru waited long enough to witness the flare burst into blue-white flames far above before retreating back into the cave. The flare was no more than a powerful firework, but was made specifically for emergency situations. The flare's flames would linger in the air for several minutes, long enough for allies to assess their location and the base they were using. Of course, the flare was also a beacon to unfriendly shinobi, but at the moment Shikamaru did not want to think of the consequences of that. The flares were meant to be used as a final resort and Shikamaru felt that it was their last and only attempt to contact for help.

That done, the Nara crawled back inside the base. Grabbing a bottle of disinfectant and a package of gauze, he kneeled down besides Neji to admonish his treatment. As he sliced through the old bandages, Shikamaru hissed upon seeing the degree of inflammation many of Neji's wounds had taken. The bright red cuts swelled with yellow infection, contrasting sharply against the Hyuuga's pale skin. _The river water must have made him worse._ Shikamaru swallowed back the sour taste building up in the back of his throat, and bent down to start cleaning.

As with any shinobi, Shikamaru was trained in basic field medicine. Using only a flame-heated scalpel and absorbent gauze, he was able to slice through the yellowed skin and drain the white infection underneath. The puss filled wipes were disposed into an airtight bag to help deter animals from detecting the smell of blood. Shikamaru had to stop himself a few times from getting sick, and took breaks drinking from the canteen water supplies.

Neji awoke with a small groan when Shikamaru was finishing up cleaning the last wound. He blinked up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes, then noticed that he was not alone in the room. "Shika...maru?" Weakly, he held up a hand to feel his comrade's arm. "Where are we?"

"A safehouse." Shikamaru shoved a bloody gauze into the trash bag and pulled out a fresh wipe. "Soruyo's dead. I highly doubt that he could swim with both the poison and the shurikan tied to his back."

"I woke up in the water." Neji mumbled, as if he had not heard Shikamaru. "I didn't get caught in the main current. I swam so hard I...I...panicked." Neji shuddered at the memory, then tried to brush loose strands of hair from his face. "I sometimes lose self control in deep water. Its pathetic."

"Hey." Shikamaru poked Neji's bare chest sternly "Don't be so hard on yourself, you should count yourself lucky to be alive."

Neji chuckled dryly. "Heh, I suppose there's no point in making things harder for myself, with this damn headache and everything."

Shikamaru reached out to feel Neji's flushed forehead, his fingers pressed lightly against the birdcage seal. "You're running a fever."

Neji shrugged weakly. "That's the least of my worries. Is there anything to drink?"

Shikamaru pulled out his canister of sterilized water. "It's a little stale, but still drinkable." he carefully lifted Neji's head to help him drink.

Neji sighed after he had drank his fill, and watched Shikamaru with eyes half closed as his comrade took his turn drinking from the canteen. "What are our odds?"

Shikamaru paused to wipe his mouth. "I'm not sure anymore. I've set off a flare, anyone with a clear view could easily see it."

"We're still far from Konoha, those Rain shinobi would most likely be sniffing around for us soon." the Hyuuga looked grim. "They might slit our throats while we're asleep."

"Fuck, Neji!" Shika shuddered. "Don't say things like that!"

"Being as it is," Neji continued, "I'm in no condition to travel, but you have a chance of saving yourself."

Shikamaru shook his head sternly. "I'm not abandoning you."

As weak as he was, Neji's eyes flashed anger. "You fool! There's no point in you dying as well, that's suicide!"

Shikamaru looked away from Neji's angry eyes, he could feel his headache starting again. "I couldn't stand losing you like that, not when there is something I can do. Besides..." his voice dropped, "I wouldn't mind dying by your side."

Neji was moved, but did not betray any emotion in his reply. "As a comrade?"

Shikamaru turned away, mumbling under his breath. "Yeah, but I would like to be a bit more than that." He scratched the back of his head nervously, suddenly ashamed at himself of voicing his desires. "I'm being foolish."

Neji reached out and tugged at Shikamaru's wrist to urge him closer. Shikamaru complied, and leaned down with his elbow propped to hold himself up next to Neji. Shikamaru's mouth held a grim line, but his dark eyes were wide with concern.

Neji smiled wryly and brushed a finger against Shikamaru's arm. "To think that I was so blinded by my ambition to obtain the ANBU rank, I've completely overlooked you as an individual."

Shikamaru chuckled. "At the time I thought you were just an arrogant prick." A sincere smile tugged the corners of his lips. "Thanks Neji."

"Do you still intend to stay?"

Shikamaru shook his head, a ghost of a grin lined his mouth. "There's no way you can kick me out in the state you're in."

Neji sighed, giving into the Nara's stubbornness. "If you're going to stay, at least stay warm with me."

Shikamaru nodded dumbly, weariness had crept suddenly into his battered body. With some effort, he peeled off his damp shirt and climbed under the blankets next to Neji. Shikamaru's teeth chattered against the warm body, he had not realized how cold he had been. The Nara felt suddenly safe being so close to Neji, and realizing so made his headache fade a bit.

"I wonder if we'll wake up in the morning." Shikamaru mused, feeling the Hyuuga's arm snake around his middle to encourage him to scoot closer.

Neji guided Shikamaru's drowsy head to lie in the crook of his neck, Neji made a small movement to indicate a shrug. "Tomorrow we shall see what fate will deal us. "

"Fate, huh?" The Nara muttered grouchily. "Fate seemed to have dealt us a pretty bad hand. Nothing good came from this mission."

"Did it?" Neji slowly turned his head to mummer into Shikamaru's ear. "Tell me, what did you mean by wanting to be more than my comrade?"

Shikamaru stiffened, he had hoped Neji had missed that comment. He felt his cheeks grow hot, embarrassment surfaced through his weariness. "Nothing. Just forget about it."

The Nara's reaction did not escape the perceptive Hyuuga. Shikamaru's unguarded body language confirmed what Neji had already suspected. "Perhaps it _was_ fate that had us meet like this." Neji slid his fingers up Shikamaru's bruised back, his voice turning soft. "I know that before this mission I never would have given you a second glance."

Shikamaru sensed what Neji was implying, and lifted his face to meet eyes with the Hyuuga. Neji's silver eyes were glassy with fever, but held a clarity that revealed his intentions were sincere.

Taking the initiative, Neji leaned over to brush lips across the Nara's mouth. Shikamaru allowed his eyes to close, and returned the tender kiss.

It did not last long. Neji pulled away first, he leaned his flushed forehead against Shikamaru's brow. Exhaustion had began to reclaim his body. "If we do survive this, lets try to get to know each other better."

"I'd like that." Shikamaru brushed loose strands of hair from Neji's fevered face. "Lets get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning."

The Hyuuga nodded sleepily, unable to keep his eyes open. "In the morning..." Neji echoed, his voice faded as he at last succumbed to black folds of sleep.

Shikamaru was not long following the path of sleep. Cradling Neji, he allowed himself to feel deceptively secure the Hyuuga's arms. His last thought before he slipped into unconsciousness completed the sentence that Neji could not finish.

"Maybe."

* * *

Shikamaru had a very odd dream. He dreamed that he was staring up into a dark grey sky. Light raindrops fell into his open eyes as he watched the faint outlines of treetops and branches stream by. He was moving, and yet he was still lying on his back. Around his head, Shikamaru could hear hushed voices and the dull sound of running feet. 

Shikamaru blinked out the rainwater in his eyes and inconsistencies to turn his head to see who was behind him. A hand appeared, its fingertips alight with blue chakra. Shikamaru could only watch as the fingers descended to tap his temples, he had no strength to offer resistance. Suddenly feeling lightheaded, Shikamaru closed his eyes to fall back into the comfortable blackness of a dreamless sleep.

What a strange dream.

* * *

TBC 

I tried to convey my experiences with white waters as best as I could in this chappie, such as _Keeping your head protected and try to ride the rapids through feet first_ was drilled in all the rafting kids noggins' for incase of falling overboard. Hopefully this information is useful (who says fanfiction can't be educational?)

Oh man, this took me so long to update, and a long chapter nonetheless! (big bow of apology) So sorry for the wait! And thanks for sticking with my story! (hugs for everyone!)

And yet another thanks to my wonderful beta (underline)kurokumo for all her majestic wonderfulness X3 And thanks to everyone who took the time to review and comment on the story! It fills me with wonderous fanficing joy knowing that people read and like this story, Thank you!

**I would like to know what you think about my fic, please R/R!**


	10. Never Go Back

**Summery: **Five years since the attack on Konoha, two geniuses who don't see eye to eye are captured by the Rain during a routine surveillance mission. Without the use of jitsus will Neji and Shikamaru be able to rely on each other for survival? NejiShika

**To find the link to the Rain Nin Character Art:** Check out my profile page. Their costumes are a bit to elaborate for me to literate without being confusing

SO SORRY FOR THE LONG ASS DELAY! Oooookay, first of all I would like to call this the $300 chapter. My computer crashed (from a hotmail virus which also killed my account) nearly a year ago, and it is only until recently that I was able to afford the cost to retrieve the data (with graduating expenses and things like food, bills, etc. the priortity of retrieving fanfiction from computer limbo gets left behind somewhere) in other words, the only reason that I forked over the monies was to save all my fics! Not just this chappie, but all my other unpublished fics (including the sequel to 'More than a Genius') Again, so sorry for the long horrendous wait!

**

* * *

**

White.

Shikamaru cracked his eyes open and was immediately blinded by the stark whiteness of a florescent light. Voices sounded all around him.

He was back in the cell.

Fear cut through his grogginess like a knife. Shikamaru tried to lash out at the voices, but a strong grip held him down. All Shikamaru could do was scream for his partner. "Neji! Where's Neji! Where is he?"

"Settle down Shikamaru!" A stern feminine voice commanded.

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open. His mind swirled in disorientation as he attempted to get his bearings. He found himself staring up into the ceiling of a sunlit room, not the cell he dreaded. "Where...am I?"

"You're in room 209 of Konoha Hospital." Tsunade's smiling face appeared above. "You've been asleep for three days. It was a good thing Shizune went with that rescue party, otherwise I doubt either you or the Hyuuga would have made it back alive."

Shikamaru gripped Tsunade's arm. "Neji? Where is he? I have to see him! I have to–"

"Calm down Nara, I'm right here."

Shikamaru pulled himself upright to find the source of the voice. Neji sat across from Shikamaru's hospital bed. The Hyuuga was dressed in his casual fall kimono, and appeared perfectly healthy. Neji sipped his tea and smiled at his comrade. "You're so noisy."

A smile played across Tsunade's features. "The Hyuuga Clan's durability never ceases to amaze me. I've seen patients succumb to less severe battering even without the dangers of exposure and infection." The Godaime's smile faded. "Neji reported that the both of you were captured on behalf of obtaining information on a certain 'Tsunade's legacy'." The Godaime sighed and rubbed her temples wearily. "My so called 'legacy' is merely a collection of my personal medical journals that I'm about to publish. Who would have thought that a title of a book could cause so much grief?"

Tsunade glanced over to notice Shikamaru staring silently at his bed sheets, and recognized the unspoken request for privacy. She stood up from her chair. "I'll come back later to fill you in on the specifics of your condition." She patted Shikamaru's shoulder reassuringly. "You'll make a full recovery."

Once Tsunade closed the door behind her, Neji put aside his tea and slowly stood up from his chair. In doing so, Shikamaru spotted several pink lines marring the exposed skin on his arms.

Neji noticed Shikamaru looking at his scars, and pulled back his sleeve to show them off. "Thanks to Tsunade-sama's chakra, my body is almost completely healed. Even the redness on the scars should fade within a couple of weeks."

"I'm glad." Shika smiled faintly.

Neji continued. "Your hallucinations should stop. Tsunade said that it was caused by a chemical imbalance in your mid-brain–"

"Gah! I'm not sure if I want to know!" Shikamaru shuddered. "I had my brain scrambled enough as it is, I don't need to hear the details!"

Neji shrugged. "Very well." He sat down next to Shikamaru. "You're going to hear it anyways from the Godaime."

"Lucky me." Shikamaru grumbled and ran a hand through his loose messy hair.

For several long minutes, the two leaf shinobi quietly sat. The windows had been open to let in the early autumn air, which was tinged with the woody smell of freshly fallen leaves and some smattering of the waning rain cloud's last drops. The mood between the two leaf nins turned somber.

"We made it." Shikamaru whispered, he studied his hands splayed out on his lap. "It feels like it was all just a dream."

"A very bad dream." Neji nodded. "Its amazing to think that we had only been gone for five days." Neji turned to Shikamaru, his face serious. "I want to thank you for saving my life."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I should be thanking you. If you weren't with me I'd still be rotting in that cell."

Neji smiled faintly. "But you dragged my body from the river, and rescued me from Soruyo."

Shikamaru went back to staring at his blankets. "We helped each other out, its what comrades do."

"I suppose..." Neji replied, and watched Shikamaru nervously wring his blankets as the conversation again lapsed into an awkward silence.

With eyes still locked onto the bed sheets in his hands, Shikamaru broke the tension in a rush of words. "Neji–I-I can't go back to how it was–I mean, how it was between us. I can't go back to my empty apartment with you just being a stranger outside. I-I-I don't want you to leave me. Dammit!" Shikamaru scratched his head nervously, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he mumbled an apology. "Sorry, my head is still messed up. I'll be fine a few days. Just forget what I–"

"I can't go back either." Neji closed his pale grey eyes in an attempt to hide the strain that seeped into his soft voice. "It wouldn't feel right if you're not around. I don't want to lose you."

Shiakamaru's eyes widened. "Neji, I–" he swallowed, then a small genuine smile washed the worry from his face. "Thanks."

Neji returned the smile, then leaned over to brush his lips across the Nara's cheek. Shikamaru closed his eyes and responded by wrapping his arms around Neji. The Hyuuga rested his head into Shikamaru's shoulder, his pale hand sliding around the back of Shikamaru's neck pull them closer together in a gentle embrace. Together, they remained where they were, no words were needed to express the contentment they felt in each other's arms.

Outside, the grey skies had stopped raining.

**

* * *

**

To be continued in **'Geniusly Compatible'**


End file.
